Colombo, Emilio

Colombo, Emilio (āmē'lyō kōlôm'bō) [key], 1920–, Italian political leader. He was elected a member of the constituent assembly in 1946 and a parliamentary deputy for the Christian Democratic party in 1948. During a lengthy tenure in associate cabinet posts, he helped initiate some of Italy's basic postwar reforms, including land redistribution, nationalization of electrical utilities, and a program of government aid for the development of the impoverished south. He is credited with having written much of the Treaty of Rome, which established the European Economic Community (Common Market) in 1958. After serving as minister of the treasury from 1963 to 1970, he became premier in Aug., 1970. His coalition government fell in Jan., 1972, but subsequently he has held additional cabinet posts, including the ministries of finance, of the treasury, of foreign affairs, and of the budget and economic planning. From 1977 to 1979 Colombo was president of the European Parliament.

The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th ed. Copyright © 2007, Columbia University Press. All rights reserved.

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