David Maria Sassoli was an Italian politician and President of the European Parliament from the centre left Democratic Party, who previously worked as a journalist and TV anchor. He was born in Florence on 30 May 1956. David Sassoli has had a long and high-profile career as a professional journalist, including on various newspapers, following which he moved to prime time news broadcasts, where he was responsible for covering major national and international events. In 2004, he was elected as President of the Press Association of Rome and in 2007, he became Deputy Director of the Italian state broadcaster, TG1. In 2009, David Sassoli launched his career in politics with the newly formed Democratic Party and was elected as a Member of the European Parliament (MEP) for central Italy with more than 400,000 votes. He subsequently became head of the Democratic Party’s group in the European Parliament. David Sassoli was re-elected as an MEP in 2014 and was also elected as a Vice President of the Parliament with particular responsibility for the budget and the Mediterranean region. During his second term he was a member of the Parliament’s powerful transport committee where he was responsible for the reform of European railways and the Single European Sky. In 2019, David Sassoli began his third term as an MEP For central Italy and on 3 July, he was elected President of the European Parliament. In his inaugural speech, he highlighted the importance of tackling climate change, the need for politics to meet the aspirations of citizens, especially the young and the need to bolster parliamentary democracy and promote Europe’s values. In parallel to his political and journalistic career, David Sassoli has been a longstanding and active member of various charitable associations promoting education, freedom of speech and youth activities.
