Lorenzo Fontana

Lorenzo Fontana (born 10 April 1980) is an Italian politician, member of Lega Nord. He served as Minister of European Affairs in the government of Giuseppe Conte. He previously served as Minister of Family and Disability from 1 June 2018 to 10 July 2019 and as Vice-President of the Chamber of Deputies from 29 March to 1 June 2018.[1] He is also the Deputy Federal Secretary of the Lega, under the leadership of Matteo Salvini.

Lorenzo Fontana
Minister of European Affairs
In office
10 July 2019 – 5 September 2019
Prime MinisterGiuseppe Conte
Preceded byPaolo Savona
Succeeded byEnzo Amendola
Minister for Family and Disability
In office
1 June 2018 – 10 July 2019
Prime MinisterGiuseppe Conte
Preceded byPaolo Gentiloni (Acting)
Succeeded byAlessandra Locatelli
Vice President of the Chamber of Deputies
In office
29 March 2018 – 1 June 2018
PresidentRoberto Fico
Member of the Chamber of Deputies
Assumed office
23 March 2018
ConstituencyVeneto 2
Member of the European Parliament
In office
7 June 2009 – 22 March 2018
ConstituencyNorth-East Italy
Personal details
Born (1980-04-10) 10 April 1980
Verona, Italy
Political partyLega Nord
Spouse(s)Emilia
Children1
Alma materUniversity of Padua

Political career

Lorenzo Fontana was born in Verona, Veneto, in 1980. He graduated in Political Science at the University of Padua and in Christian History at the European University of Rome.[2] In 2002 he was elected vice-secretary of the Young Padanians Movement, the League's youth wing.

After being elected to Verona city council, in 2009 he was elected to the European Parliament.[3][4] In 2012, he was the head of the League's group in the European Parliament. From 2009 to 2014, he was also vice-president of the Committee on Culture and Education. During the 8th legislature, he was also the supervisor of the cooperation deal between Bosnia-Herzegovina and Europol.[5] Fontana was re-elected to the 2014 European election, becoming a member of the Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs (LIBE) and of the Delegation for Relations with Iraq (D–IQ).

On 26 February 2016, he was appointed by Matteo Salvini as Deputy Federal Secretary of the Northern League together with Giancarlo Giorgetti. On 8 July 2017 he became deputy mayor of Verona.[6]

At the 2018 Italian general election Fontana was elected to the Chamber of Deputies.[7] From April to August 2018 he served as one of the vice-presidents of the Chamber.

On 1 May 2018, Fontana was appointed Minister of Family and Disability in the government of Giuseppe Conte.[8][9]

In August 2018, Fontana called for the repeal of the 1993 Mancino Law, which criminalises hate speech, claiming the law was being used by "globalists" to promote "anti-Italian racism".[10] In March 2019 he helped organize the anti-gay, anti-feminist and anti-abortion World Congress of Families in Verona, to the point of authorizing the use of the logo of Giuseppe Conte's administrative office in order to promote the event without the prime minister's permission.[11]

On 10 July 2019, Fontana was appointed Italy's Minister of European Affairs.[12][13][14]

Political views

Fontana is widely considered an ultraconservative.[15][16][17] He calls himself a "crusader" who fights against abortion, same-sex civil unions and stepchild adoption, which he considers as a "weakening of the family". He is also against "pro-LGBT" sexual education, stating that Vladimir Putin's Russia "is the reference for those who believe in a nationalist model of society".[18] On 2 June 2018, the day after becoming minister, he added that "gay families do not exist".[19][20]

He opposes illegal immigration to Italy, claiming it to be a serious threat that "aims to erase the Italian people along with their communities and traditions", along with "gay marriages and the so-called gender theory in schools".[21]

Fontana is married and has one daughter.[22] He is a Roman Catholic.[23]

Works

In 2018, Fontana wrote the book The empty cradle of civilization. At the origin of the crisis, about the risks related to demographic decline in Italy.[24]

References
  1. "XVIII Legislatura - Deputati e Organi - Scheda deputato - FONTANA Lorenzo". Camera.it (in Italian). Retrieved 2018-05-13.
  2. Bio
  3. "Home - Deputati - Parlamento Europeo". Europarl.europa.eu. Retrieved 16 February 2019.
  4. "Cerca un deputato - Deputati - Parlamento Europeo". Retrieved 31 March 2017.
  5. "RELAZIONE sul progetto di decisione di esecuzione del Consiglio che approva la conclusione da parte dell'Ufficio europeo di polizia (Europol) dell'accordo sulla cooperazione operativa e strategica tra la Bosnia-Erzegovina ed Europol - A8-0352/2015". Europarl.europa.eu. Retrieved 16 February 2019.
  6. "Comune di Verona - Composizione e deleghe". Comune.verona.it. Retrieved 16 February 2019.
  7. Online, Redazione (3 May 2018). "Elezioni politiche 2018, tutti gli eletti in Veneto". Corriere del Veneto. Retrieved 16 February 2019.
  8. "Lorenzo Fontana ministro della Famiglia e disabilità: il leghista che combatte la "deriva nichilista" della società". Repubblica.it. 31 May 2018. Retrieved 16 February 2019.
  9. "Chi è Fontana, il nuovo ministro della Famiglia e disabilità". Adnkronos.com. Retrieved 16 February 2019.
  10. Robins-Early, Nick (4 August 2018). "Far-Right Italian Cabinet Minister Calls For Repealing Anti-Fascism Law" – via Huff Post.
  11. "Italian PM distances himself from anti-gay, anti-abortion event". The Guardian.
  12. "Italy hands eurosceptic League minister the EU portfolio". Reuters. July 10, 2019. Retrieved 16 July 2019.
  13. Follain, John; Totaro, Lorenzo (9 July 2019). "Italy's Salvini to Tap Veteran European Lawmaker as Minister". Bloomberg News. Retrieved 16 July 2019.
  14. "Ultra-conservative Salvini ally takes over European Affairs job". The Local. July 10, 2019. Retrieved 16 July 2019.
  15. "Fontana, un fedelissimo di Salvini agli Affari Ue - Politica". Agenzia ANSA. July 10, 2019.
  16. "I sentimenti anti-business iniziano ad allarmare l'economia italiana". www.ilfoglio.it.
  17. "Chi è Fontana, il fedelissimo di Salvini nuovo ministro agli Affari Ue". Il Sole 24 ORE.
  18. "Fontana, il ministro per la Famiglia contro aborto e coppie gay". 1 June 2018. Retrieved 16 February 2019.
  19. "Fontana: "Famiglie gay? Mi attaccano perché sono cattolico". Ma Salvini lo stoppa: "Sue idee non in contratto"". Repubblica.it. 2 June 2018. Retrieved 16 February 2019.
  20. "Lorenzo Fontana: "Famiglie gay non esistono. Più figli, meno aborti". Salvini: "Le sue idee non sono nel contratto di governo"". Il Fatto Quotidiano. 2 June 2018. Retrieved 16 February 2019.
  21. Pennisi, Martina (6 January 2018). "Gay, quando il ministro della Famiglia diceva: "Vogliono dominarci"". Corriere della Sera. Retrieved 16 February 2019.
  22. "Biografia - Lorenzo Fontana". Archived from the original on 26 May 2018. Retrieved 16 February 2019.
  23. "Here is Italy's new cabinet in full". Thelocal.it. 1 June 2018. Retrieved 16 February 2019.
  24. "la culla vuota della civiltà all'origine della crisi - Google Search". Google.it. Retrieved 2018-05-13.
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