Status: 11.01.2022 7:18 a.m.
EU Parliament President Sassoli has died at the age of 65. His hospital stay in Italy became known on Monday. He had been staying there for a long time.
The President of the European Parliament, David Sassoli, is dead. His spokesman Roberto Cuillo confirmed on Twitter that he died early in the morning at the age of 65 in the municipality of Aviano in the north-eastern Italian region of Friuli-Venezia Giulia.
In treatment since December 26th
A spokesman for the EU Parliament in Brussels announced on Monday that Sassoli was being treated in a hospital in his home country, Italy. The stay had become “because of a serious complication due to a dysfunction of the immune system”.
According to the EU Parliament, the President of the Parliament had been in treatment since December 26th. All of his appointments have been canceled. The hospital stay had not previously been announced.
In October, Sassoli, who belonged to the social democratic party Partito Democratico (PD), already missed a session of parliament because he had a fever. He was previously treated in hospital for Legionella pneumonia. The Centro di Riferimento Oncologico hospital in Aviano did not provide any information when asked in the morning. Spokesman Cuillo said on Twitter that the time and place of the funeral would be announced in the coming hours.
Timmermans: “Words fail me”
EU Climate Commissioner Frans Timmermans has expressed his condolences to the Italian’s family. “His warmth was an inspiration to everyone who knew him. My sincere condolences go to his family and loved ones,” wrote the Dutchman on Tuesday morning on Twitter. “I’m lost for words.”
Member of the EU Parliament since 2009
Sassoli was born on May 30, 1956 in Florence, Tuscany. After studying political science, he worked as a journalist, first for newspapers and news agencies and then for Italian public radio. He quickly developed into a familiar face for millions of Italians when he presented the evening news on Rai Uno – a kind of Italian “Mister Tagesschau”. In 2007 he also became deputy director of the TG1 news program.
In 2009 he moved into the EU Parliament for the social democratic Partito Democratico (PD). From 2014 he was one of the 14 Vice-Presidents of the EU Chamber of Deputies. In addition to his parliamentary work, Sassoli continued to write as an author of books and guest articles in various daily newspapers and magazines.
Sassoli did not want to run for re-election
Since the European elections in 2019, he has held the chairmanship of parliament. His term of office ended this month halfway through the legislative period, as agreed by the EU heads of state and government. Sassoli had already announced that he did not want to run for re-election. According to the Parliament, MEPs should designate his successor during the plenary session in Strasbourg next week Tuesday.
As a token of his solidarity in the midst of the Corona crisis, he made the orphaned premises of Parliament available in both Strasbourg and Brussels to prepare meals for families in need and to set up a Covid-19 test center. He leaves two children.