In Memoriam: Tommaso Padoa-Schioppa

He was only 70, and he was so alive – engaged, demanding, pugnacious. His arena went beyond the politics of Italy and much of his struggle was for European unity. This was the fight which made him accept to preside over Notre Europe, and the reason why he joined the European Council on Foreign Relations as one of its founding members.

In the way he moved, dressed, spoke, he was the embodiment of a type rarely found outside Italy:  at the same time academic, elegant, disciplined, intensely intellectual, a thinker and a grand seigneur. Europe has nothing better to offer.

His commitment to the cause he was serving was absolute; the humanity he showed in doing so was profound. Most importantly for us who were lucky to be his contemporaries, he was an economist of great distinction who was ready to serve Europe and his country as a senior official and as a leading politician.  “He was an outstanding civil servant and one of the most insightful people in the field of financial regulation and macro-economic management”, says George Soros. “He did a brilliant job managing Italy's budget as a minister.  More recently he was advising George Papandreou and the Greek government on the crisis, he was working with a group of French and German macro-economists to develop a more imaginative solution for the euro problem, and he was working on an assessment of the global currency system for President Sarkozy.  All this comes to a stop with his sad death."

Goodbye, Tommaso Padoa-Schioppa, and thank you.  

ECFR would be glad to publish tributes to Tommaso Padoa-Schioppa from those who knew and worked with him. Please email press@ecfr.eu with such pieces. We will link to any contributions on this page.

There will be a memorial ceremony at the European University Institute (EUI) in Florence on 28th January at 3pm, at which the creation of a Chair in honour of Tommaso Padoa-Schioppa and of a study programme on monetary union and the role the single currency plays in the global economy will be formally announced.

The team at Notre Europe, of which Tommaso Padoa-Schioppa was president, write here about how they will continue to draw strength from his vision and example (English and French).

Emma Bonino, who served in the Italian government with Tommaso Padoa-Schioppa and last saw him 10 days ago, reflects on her former colleague's talent as an economist and his commitment to the European cause in La Stampa (Italian).

Jerzy Buzek, President of the European Parliament, reflects on the loss of a great European in a press release here (English).

Joschka Fischer's letter of condolence to Jacques Delors, founder of Notre Europe, can be read here (English).