Brussels shocked by death of parliament speaker Sassoli: ‘A sincere mediator, not a bully’

‘For an Italian a surprisingly nice and friendly man’, is how PvdA euro group leader Agnes Jongerius describes her deceased colleague Sassoli. ‘Someone you would wish for as a father’. Bas Eickhout (Groenlinks) also calls Sassoli ‘a very amiable man’.

The death of the Speaker of Parliament on Tuesday morning – one week before his term expired – shocked most MEPs. It was not until Monday afternoon that it was announced that Sassoli had been admitted to an Italian hospital since December 26 due to “serious complications” from immune system failure. He died half a day later. EU President Charles Michel and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen expressed their condolences on Tuesday morning.

‘No male putter’

Jongerius and Eickhout emphasize that Sassoli – much more than his predecessors Antonio Tajani and Martin Schulz – had an eye for everyone’s interests. ‘He was a chairman in the classic sense of the word’, says Eickhout. “A sincere mediator.” CDA party leader Esther de Lange commemorates Sassoli as a ‘convinced European’.

Not a political heavyweight or bully, say the parliamentarians. Jongerius: ‘Very different from Tajani, who paraded through the corridors with his chest out. Sassoli also had fewer square meters of ego than Schulz.’ And that was really nice, says Eickhout. ‘Schulz had more profile but also more unpleasant sides.’ Both MEPs argue that under Sassoli the number of political appointments (favouritism) in the European Parliament has decreased.

Sassoli’s presidency was severely hampered by the corona pandemic, which for a long time made physical meetings (with more than 700 parliamentarians from 27 countries) impossible. He made a huge effort to make online meetings and voting possible, which is no mean feat in the Brussels world of statutes and treaties.

Another handicap was that Sassoli spoke almost exclusively Italian. An interpreter was also always present in his office, says Jongerius. Eickhout commends Sassoli for pursuing a lawsuit against the Commission for being too lax against undermining the rule of law in Poland and Hungary.

From journalist to chairman

Sassoli was born in Florence in 1956 and after studying political science worked as a journalist for various news agencies and newspapers. In the 1990s, he switched to television, to Rai Uno, to eventually become the host of one of the most important evening newscasts. He became one of Italy’s best-loved and best-known journalists. In 2009 Sassoli was elected to the European Parliament and ten years later he became its president.

Last September and October, Sassoli had been absent for some time due to a lung condition. The Italian had previously had lung cancer and was an inveterate smoker until the autumn. He nevertheless tried to get a second term (until mid-2024) as parliament speaker. However, his Social Democratic group concluded in December that his chances of being re-elected in parliament were slim. The European Christian Democrats claim the position on the basis of an agreement in 2019 between the largest political groups.

Maltese Christian Democrat Roberta Metsola is expected to take over the gavel next week. As First Vice-President, she has held the presidency many times during Sassoli’s absence. She also replaced him in September at the important ‘throne speech’ in Parliament by Commission President von der Leyen. Metsola responded to Sassoli’s death early Tuesday morning on Twitter: “I am heartbroken. Europe has lost a leader, I have lost a friend, and democracy has lost a champion.’