Christopher Columbus Foundation
Fondazione Cristoforo Colombo |
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President | Claudio Scajola |
Secretary | Paolo Russo |
Ideology | Christian democracy |
National affiliation | The People of Freedom |
Website | |
www |
The Christopher Columbus Foundation, whose complete name is Christopher Columbus Foundation for Freedoms (Fondazione Cristoforo Colombo per le Libertà, FCL) was a faction and think tank within The People of Freedom (PdL), a political party in Italy. Its leader is Claudio Scajola.
The group around Claudio Scajola wielded a strong influence within Forza Italia, the main precursor of the PdL. During his five years as national coordinator of the party (1996–2001), Scajola built Forza Italia as a modern mass party and prepared it for several electoral victories. Scajola was minister in all governments of Silvio Berlusconi (2001–2006, 2008–present) until his resignation as minister of Economic Development in early 2010 over a scandal.
After having left active politics for a while in 2010, Scajola soon started to re-organize his faction, whose leading members included Massimo Berruti, Paolo Russo, Maria Teresa Armosino, Ignazio Abrignani, Michele Scandroglio, Salvatore Cicu, Sandro Biasotti, Roberto Cassinelli, Raffaele Lauro, Paolo Tancredi and Giustina Destro. Most of them were former Christian Democrats, while others shared with Scajola the regional upbringing, hailing from Liguria, Scajola's power base, or neighbouring Piedmont.
In November 2010 the Christopher Columbus Foundation (FCL) was formed by Scajola in order to re-discover the original spirit of Forza Italia. The association was joined by Scajoliani and also by Antonio Martino, a former Liberal who was number two of Forza Italia in 1994 and minister of Foreign Affairs in Berlusconi's first government, as well as other liberals, such as Gregorio Fontana, and leading Christian democrats of the party, including Mario Baccini and Osvaldo Napoli.