Deputy Industry Minister Carlo
Calenda will on Wednesday be tapped as Italy's new ambassador to
the European Union, replacing Stefano Sannino, government
sources said Tuesday. Calenda's appointment will be formalised
at a cabinet meeting Wednesday night, they said. The appointment
comes at a sensitive time in EU-Italy relations, amid a row
between Premier Matteo Renzi and European Commission President
Jean-Claude Juncker over alleged "insults" to the EC. Calenda, a
former businessman who is a member of renzi's ruling Democratic
Party, is the first career politician to be named as envoy to
Brussels after a long line of career diplomats. Calenda, 43, is
a former marketing director for Sky Italia who served as deputy
executive of business group Confindustria under its former head,
Luca de Montezemolo, In that latter capacity he handled trade
dossiers with countries including India, China, Brazil, Russia,
UAE, Thailand, Kazakhstan, Serbia, Romania, Bulgaria, Egypt,
Turkey, Algeria, Tunisia, Morocco, Israel, South Africa and
Mexico. Calenda is the son of economist Fabio Calenda and film
director Cristina Comencini.
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