The Historical Archives of the European Union (HAEU) is saddened to learn of the passing of Maria Romana De Gasperi on 30 March, in Rome, at the age of 99. She was the eldest daughter of Alcide De Gasperi, the Italian statesman and Europeanist who served as the Italian Republic’s first Prime Minister and was founder of Italy’s Christian Democratic Party.
Ever at her father’s side, Mrs. De Gasperi became engaged in politics at a very early age, acting even as a partisan courier during the occupation of Rome. Following her father’s nomination as Prime Minister, she assisted him closely in his duties, accompanying him on state visits such as that made to the United States in January 1947.
After her father’s death, she worked assiduously to keep her father’s memory alive for future generations, conducting conferences and publishing numerous articles and books. Among these are the volumes De Gasperi uomo solo, La nostra patria Europa, and the collection De Gasperi scrive e Cara Francesca. Lettere.
In 2021, then-President of the Italian Republic Sergio Mattarella bestowed on Mrs. De Gasperi Italy’s highest honour, the Knight Grand Cross of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic.
On 7 November 2001, Maria Romana De Gasperi signed a deposit agreement with then-President of the European University Institute (EUI) Patrick Masterson, to deposit her father’s private papers at the HAEU. In 2015, in the presence of Maria Romana De Gasperi, then-President of the EUI Joseph Weiler inaugurated the Alcide De Gasperi Research Centre on the History of European Integration as a joint undertaking of the HAEU and the EUI’s Department of History and Civilisation to promote and facilitate inter-disciplinary research on European integration.
Photo, from left: Jean-Marie Palayret, Maria Romana De Gasperi, and Patrick Masterson on the signing of the agreement to deposit the papers of Alcide De Gasperi at the HAEU. (HAEU-EUI-1084)