Prodi, Romano (1939- )

Italian centre-left politician, Italian prime minister 1996-98 and from 2006, and president of the European Commission 1999-2004. A former academic and Christian Democrat, he was a founding member of the Partido Deomcratico di Sinistra (PDS; in English the Democratic Party of the Left) and ‘Olive Tree’ alliance in 1995. Prodi headed Italy's first left-of-centre government since the fall of fascism in 1943. As Commission president, he oversaw reform of its bureaucracy and sought to rebuild faith in EU institutions.

Born in Reggio Emilia near Bologna, Italy, Prodi is an economist by training. His first government post was as minister for industry 1978-79. He served as chair of the state-owned Istituto per la Ricostruzione Industriale (IRI; in English the Institute for Industrial Reconstruction) in 1982-89 and 1993-94, overseeing a number of privatizations and turning it into a profitable company. As Italian president his tight fiscal strategy succeeded in securing Italy's acceptance as a member of the EU single currency, the euro.