The President of the Republic, Sergio Mattarella, on the occasion of the 40th anniversary of the death of Altiero Spinelli, issued the following statement:
“Altiero Spinelli, a free spirit, was a leading figure in an intense struggle for a democratic and united Europe.
For the defense of his ideals, he paid with years of imprisonment and internal exile as an opponent of the fascist regime, and later with expulsion from the Communist Party for his criticism of Stalinism.
Freedom and democracy were the cornerstones of Spinelli’s thought and example, as well as of his leadership in the Italian social democracy in the post-war period.
It was precisely during his confinement in Ventotene that, together with Ernesto Rossi and Eugenio Colorni, Spinelli developed the idea of a united and federal Europe, conceived as an innovative system of regional cooperation and an effective mechanism to prevent further armed conflicts among states.
The Manifesto for a Free and United Europe outlined some of the fundamental features of what would become the future common order, including the removal of barriers to trade, as well as the establishment of an advanced supranational organization capable of adopting decisions with direct effect.
For Spinelli, that Manifesto marked the beginning of a lifelong commitment to strengthening the idea of an integrated Europe. Evidence of this includes the founding of the European Federalist Movement, his appointment as a member of the Commission of the European Communities by the Rumor government, and his later engagement following his election to the Italian Parliament with the Independent Left and to the European Parliament as an independent on the lists of the Communist Party.
Re-elected in 1979, in the first elections by universal suffrage to the Strasbourg Assembly, he launched the Draft Treaty establishing the European Union.
The ‘Spinelli Plan’ relaunched the process of European integration, laying the foundations for future negotiations that led to the adoption of the Single European Act, a decisive step toward an even more integrated Europe.
Forty years after his passing, Altiero Spinelli’s legacy remains a valuable heritage of values and ideals for Italy and for Europe.
The Republic is grateful to him.”
Rome, May 23, 2026