Valeria Fedeli Italian trade union activist and politician Date of Birth: 29.07.1949 Country: Italy

1. Early Life and Education
2. Trade Union Career
3. Political Career
4. Removal of Education Credentials
5. Electoral Defeat and Return to the Senate
6. Personal Life

Early Life and Education

Valeria Fedeli, an Italian trade unionist and politician, was born in Turin. In 1971, she graduated from the School of Social Assistants (Scuola di Assistenti Sociali, UNSAS). Her diploma was only legally recognized in 1987, and a higher education course was introduced at this school in the late 1990s. Before the education system reform implemented by Luigi Berlinguer in 1997, three-year higher education courses did not exist.

Trade Union Career

Fedeli began her career in the late 1970s with the Italian General Confederation of Labour (CGIL) in Milan. In the early 1980s, she moved to Rome and worked in the secretariats of the civil servants' and textile workers' unions. From 2000 to 2010, she served as general secretary of the textile union, collaborating with the Minister of Economic Development Pier Luigi Bersani on defining key areas for Italian industry development. In 2012, she left CGIL to become deputy national secretary of the Federation of Consumer Protection (Federconsumatori). She joined the Democratic Party upon its formation.

In 2006, "The Wall Street Journal" hailed her as "the woman changing traditional trade-union thinking in an era of competitive struggle with Far Eastern economies." She also co-founded the feminist organization "Se non ora quando?" (If Not Now, When?).

Political Career

In February 2013, Fedeli was elected to the Italian Senate and became Deputy Speaker of the Senate on March 21 of that year. In January 2015, after the resignation of President Giorgio Napolitano, President of the Senate Pietro Grasso became Acting President of Italy under Article 86 of the Italian Constitution. Fedeli then served as Acting President of the Senate, including during the inauguration ceremony of the new President, Sergio Mattarella.

On December 12, 2016, Fedeli took office as Minister of Education, Universities, and Research in the Gentiloni government, succeeding Stefania Giannini.

Removal of Education Credentials

On December 14, 2016, after becoming Minister of Universities, Fedeli removed references to higher education from her curriculum vitae. According to the website Dagospia, Gentiloni initially considered Marco Rossi-Doria, an author with experience in the ministry, as Giannini's successor. However, he changed his decision due to pressure from Matteo Renzi and Maria Elena Boschi, who opposed the appointment as Rossi-Doria was politically connected to Enrico Letta and Ignazio Marino.

Electoral Defeat and Return to the Senate

In the 2018 parliamentary elections, Fedeli received 32% of the vote in the Pisa single-member constituency but lost. However, she was elected to the Senate on the Democratic Party list in the 1st constituency of Campania, a victory that positioned her ahead of regional party leader Stefano Graziano.

Personal Life

Valeria Fedeli is married to Achille Passoni, a Democratic Party senator from 2008 to 2013. In 2016, she was reported as Italy's wealthiest politician, with a declared income of €180,921.