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Lorenzo Natali
Lawyer after the war, Abruzzes deputy at the Italian Parliament for seven legislatures in a row within the Christian-democrat party, he was also a member of the national Council of the party. Summoned for the first time to the government in 1955 as State undersecretary for the ministries Council Presidency in the first Segni cabinet, he then became State undersecretary for the Finances and the Tresor in the Zoli government, as well as in several of the following governments. In February 1966, in the third government of Moro, Natali became Minister for the first time, taking over the portfolio of the merchant Marine. He then initiated laws favouring naval construction and naval credit. In the following governments, he was first Minister of the Public Works. After that he was appointed Minister of Tourism and of Performing Arts and then took over the Agriculture portfolio between 1970 and 1973. In the early seventies, he held a leading role in the negotiations for the first review board of the common agricultural policy. His objective was to introduce change by strengthening the structure to favour of the most disadvantaged part of the European agriculture. As a militant convinced by European ideals, he was fully aware of the importance, especially in the seventies, of the agricultural integration for the creation of the European Community. In November 1976 he was appointed member of the Commission of the European Community by the Italian government. From January 1977 to January 1981 he became one of the vice-presidents of the Community, presided by the Brit Roy Jenkins, in charge of the questions of enlargement, the environment, nuclear safety and relations with the European Parliament. Throughout his work he contributed in a determining way to the positive results of the negotiations for the adherence of Greece, and to the beginning of the negotiations for the adherence of Spain and Portugal. He also made a contribution to implementing significant measures in the field of the prevention of pollution and the improvement of life conditions. In January 1981 his appointment to the position of vice-president of the Commission was renewed, presided by Gaston Thorn. Natali was responsible for the Mediterranean global policy, the problems related to the enlargement of the Community and information. From January 1985 to January 1989 he was again confirmed in his position of vice-president for the first Delors Commission, this time responsible for the cooperation and development policies. In this field, Natali had the possibility of creating a large network of relations with the governments and the State chiefs of Africa, the Caribbean and Pacific countries, and throughout this network he designed the first draft of the project of reform of the ACP conventions. On the one hand this achieved the work initiated by his French predecessors Cheysson and Pisani, and on the other hand introduced innovative new principles. Lorenzo Natali died in Rome on August 29th 1990. |
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Lorenzo Natali was born in Florence on October 2nd 1922. He took part in the War for Liberation by joining the partisan forces in 1944. Injured in a battle, he was decorated for his courage on the battlefield.