Second Prodi government

The Prodi II Cabinet was the cabinet of the government of Italy from May 17 2006 to February 21 2007. It was composed of 26 ministers, 10 deputy-ministers and 66 under-secretaries, for a total of 102 members.

The Prodi II Cabinet
Ministry	Minister	Party
Prime Minister	Romano Prodi
Deputy Prime Minister	Massimo D'Alema	DS
Deputy Prime Minister	Francesco Rutelli	DL
Minister of Foreign Affairs Deputy Minister Deputy Minister Deputy Minister	Massimo D'Alema Ugo Intini Patrizia Sentinelli Franco Danieli	DS SDI PRC DL
Minister of the Interior Deputy Minister	Giuliano Amato Marco Minniti	Indep. Ulivo, PES Vice-Pres. DS
Minister of Economy and Finance Deputy Minister Deputy Minister	Tommaso Padoa-Schioppa Vincenzo Visco Roberto Pinza	Indep. DS DL
Minister of Defence	Arturo Parisi	DL
Minister of Justice	Clemente Mastella	UDEUR
Minister of Economic Development Deputy Minister	Pier Luigi Bersani Sergio D'Antoni	DS DL
Minister of Infrastructures Deputy Minister	Antonio Di Pietro Angelo Capodicasa	IdV DS
Minister of Agriculture	Paolo De Castro	Indep. Ulivo, lately joined DL
Minister of Education Deputy Minister	Giuseppe Fioroni Mariangela Bastico	DL DS
Minister of University and Research	Fabio Mussi	DS
Minister of Health	Livia Turco	DS
Minister of Communications	Paolo Gentiloni	DL
Minister of Labour	Cesare Damiano	DS
Minister of Social Solidarity	Paolo Ferrero	PRC
Minister of Environment	Alfonso Pecoraro Scanio	Greens
Minister of Culture and Tourism	Francesco Rutelli	DL
Minister of Transports Deputy Minister	Alessandro Bianchi Cesare De Piccoli	Indep. PdCI DS
Minister of European Politics and International Trade	Emma Bonino	Rad
Minister without portfolio (Reforms, Parliamentary Relations)	Vannino Chiti	DS
Minister without portfolio (Public Functions, Innovation)	Luigi Nicolais	DS
Minister without portfolio (Regional Affairs)	Linda Lanzillotta	DL
Minister without portfolio (Platform Accomplishment)	Giulio Santagata	DL
Minister without portfolio (Equal Opportunities)	Barbara Pollastrini	DS
Minister without portfolio (Youth Politics, Sports)	Giovanna Melandri	DS
Minister without portfolio (Family)	Rosy Bindi	DL

Timeline

2006

• May 17 - One day after having been appointed by president Giorgio Napolitano, Romano Prodi presented the list of his chosen 25 ministers and was sworn in.
• May 18 - The list of undersecretaries for the cabinet is announced.
• May 19 - The Senate approves the new government in a confidence vote, with 165 "yes" votes and 155 "no".
• May 23 - The Chamber of Deputies approves a confidence vote for the new cabinet.
• June 4 - PM Prodi and his ministers meet for two days in San Martino di Campo.
• June 28 - The first government confidence vote (out of 11) is approved by the Senate.
• June 30 - A decree for liberalizing taxi licenses is strongly disputed by Italian taxi owners.
• July 7 - The DPEF (Financial Platform Decree) is approved by the cabinet without the presence of Paolo Ferrero of Communist Refoundation Party.
• July 27 - The pardon law is approved by the Chamber of Deputies, with the opposition of allies Italy of Values and Party of Italian Communists.
• July 28 - The first decree in support of the foreign missions, including Afghanistan, is approved thanks to a confidence vote asked by the government.
• August 2 - The manovra bis is approved after a confidence vote asked by the government.
• August 28 - The Council of Ministers approves a decree supporting an Italian participation to the UN mission in Lebanon.
• September 7 - Senator Sergio De Gregorio leaves both the Italy of Values party and the centre-left coalition, in order to sit as an independent.
• September 22 - A special Council of Ministers approves a decree against wiretapping abuses.
• September 30 - The government announces a 2007 bugdet law with an income of 33.4 mln €.
• October 11 - The centre-left motion against the construction of the Strait of Messina bridge is approved by the Chamber of Deputies.
• October 12 - The Council of Ministers approves a proposal of law by Paolo Gentiloni about the switch from antenna television to digital terrestrial television.
• October 13 - PM Romano Prodi is welcomed by Pope Benedict XVI.
• October 23 - The Mastella law, which modifies parts of the Castelli law on judicature approved in the previous legislature, is approved by the Chamber of Deputies.
• November 20 - New heads of intelligence services are appointed by the Council of Ministers. Among them, Nicolò Pollari is replaced at the helm of SISMI.
• December 1 - The Italian presence in Iraq is formally ended by Minister of Defense Arturo Parisi in Nassiriya.

2007

• January 11 - A government meeting, attended by all the majority coalition leaders and ministers, is held for two days, starts in Caserta.
• January 16 - PM Romano Prodi, during a visit in Romania, announces that the doubling of the US military base in Vicenza will be done.
• January 25 - The Council of Ministers approved the Bersani packet on liberalizations.
• January 31 - The Chamber of Deputies approves a centre-left motion on civil couples, despite the contrary vote by Popular-UDEUR.
• February 1 - The Senate approves the opposition agenda supportive of the doubling of the Vicenza US base as asked by Minister Arturo Parisi.
• February 7 - After football-related riots in Catania which led to the death of policeman Filippo Raciti, the Council of Ministers approves a law decree against violence in football stadia.
• February 8 - The Council of Ministers approves a law proposal for the regulation of both heterosexual and homosexual civil couples, known as "Dico", without the presence of Mastella and Pecoraro Scanio.
• February 21 - The government motion on foreign policy, presented by Massimo D'Alema, is defeated in the Senate, two votes less than the qualified majority of 160. Following the events, Prodi announces his resignations.