Emilio Colombo private archive

On the 9^th of December 2019, the HAEU, represented by its Director Dieter Schlenker, and the Luigi Sturzo Institute, represented by its President Prof. Nicola Antonetti, signed a cooperation agreement in Rome concerning the inventorying and digitisation of the private papers of Emilio Colombo.

In this context, the President of the Italian Republic Sergio Mattarella was present at the seminar on ‘Emilio Colombo. Protagonist of Italian and European history of the twentieth century’ held at the Luigi Sturzo Institute. Speakers included Nicola Antonetti (president of the Luigi Sturzo Institute), Giampaolo D’Andrea (professor at the University of Basilicata), Francesco Malgeri (professor emeritus of contemporary history at the University La Sapienza of Rome), Antonio Varsori (director of the XXI Century Magazine), Fabrizio Luciolli (president of the Atlantic Treaty Association), Dieter Schlenker (HAEU Director), and Concetta Argiolas (responsible for the  Historical archive of the Luigi Sturzo Institute).

The private papers of Emilio Colombo’s document his political activities at local, regional, national, European and international level. The fonds was deposited at the Istituto Luigi Sturzo and declared of considerable historical interest by the Archival Superintendency for Lazio on the 1^st of February 2018.

Made up of208 dossiers, 7 loose files and 16 photo albums, the fondsis to be temporarily transferred to the HAEU in 2020 for its treatment, inventorying and digitisation.Following its archival processing at the HAEU, the Luigi Sturzo Institute will authorize the consultation of the documents, to be made available in digital format both on the HAEU and the Luigi Sturzo Institute websites.The original papers will then be returned to their deposit at the Luigi Sturzo Institute n Rome. In addition, the cooperation agreement provides for the organization of a conference to present the fonds to the public at the end of its archival processing.

Emilio Colombo’s contribution to Europe was recognized with the Charlemagne prize in 1979 and the gold medal of the Jean Monnet Foundation for Europe in 2011. He was, among others, Member of the European Parliament from (1976-1984, 1989-1994)and President of that institution (1977-1979). Together with the private fonds of other EU officials preserved at the HAEU, Colombo’s private documents enriches the institutional fonds of the European Parliament and of the Council of Ministers and deepens our knowledge on the strategies and objectives of Emilio Colombo’s European engagement.

To see the event’s video recording, click here.

To see President Sergio Mattarella’s arrival, click here.

To see the event’s pictures, click here.