A towering European

An appreciation by Guy Verhofstadt

With the very sudden death of Tommaso Padoa-Schioppa, I have lost a good friend and a ‘brother in arms'. Indeed, Europe has lost one of its great Europeans. He was one of the fathers of the euro and the initiator of so many pro-European initiatives. 

I remember that we first met in Rome, when I was prime minister of Belgium and he was Italy's minister of finance in the government of Romano Prodi. Together we developed a scheme that would have led to the merging of the voting ‘constituencies' of countries to which Italy and Belgium belonged in the International Monetary Fund, as a first step to the creation of a euro-constituency. The plan was, unfortunately, buried due to a lack of enthusiasm in both our governments. However, it led to a strong friendship as well as to close collaboration on other European struggles.

Tommaso was already writing in 1982 of the necessity of abandoning independent national monetary policies within the Union and calling for the creation of a single currency with a single European central bank. As joint secretary to the Delors Committee for the study of European Economic and Monetary Union in 1988, his contribution was fundamental. The study led to the launch of European Monetary Union in 1992, with the agreement on the Treaty of Maastricht. Tommaso was present constantly during the building-up phase, first with the European Monetary Institute and then with the creation of the European Central Bank. He became one of the six members of the bank's executive board. His contribution to the building of the euro was critical. He continued to be fully active in this area, having been made adviser to the Greek government last summer.

His death is a loss for Europe not only because of what he had already achieved, but also for what he still wanted to achieve. Tommaso was still very much in the European frontline, as president of Notre Europe and as a member of the steering committee of the Spinelli Group, whose goal is a federal and post-national Europe, a Europe of the citizens. His involvement in recent months concerning the euro crisis demonstrated that he was ahead of the game with proposals on how to complete the single currency zone with a single economic policy.

For him, Europe was second nature. He worked as director-general in the European Commission and was, most importantly, a close companion to Jacques Delors in the work leading up to the start of the process of monetary union. All his activities had as their centre his dedication to his role as public servant and as a convinced and convincing European.

He possessed the rare skill of being able to both work on extreme and highly technical details whilst not losing sight of the larger political picture. He knew that the euro project was one that went well beyond economic integration and was a project of historic significance. In his own words: “Our new currency unites not only economies, but also the people of Europe. This, I think, represents a profound change in human history.”

Tommaso will be dearly missed at a time when his contribution was needed more than ever. Continuing his fight for more Europe in an increasingly nationalistic environment will be a struggle – but his clear idea of purpose and dedication will give us all the strength to continue his fight. Guy Verhofstadt is the leader of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe group in the European Parliament.