Minister of Foreign Affairs and international cooperation, Italy
Luigi Di Maio was born in Avellino on 6 July 1986.
His civic and political engagement began while attending the “Vittorio Imbriani” classical lyceum in Pomigliano d’Arco (Naples).
After graduating from the lyceum, he attended the Department of Computer Engineering for a few months and then decided to enrol in Law School. In 2007-2008, he was appointed Faculty Advisor and President of the Student Council and, together with several first-year students, he founded the studentigiurisprudenza.it Student Association, an independent association that is still active today in protecting student rights.
While attending the “Federico II” University of Naples, he launched an e-commerce, web marketing and social media marketing business which is still run by his former business partners.
In 2007, he became a member journalist and publicist of the Italian Press Association.
In 2013, at 26, he was the youngest-ever Vice President of the Chamber of Deputies in the 17th Parliament, until 22 March 2018.
Still during the 17th Parliament, he was a member of the 14th Commission on European Union Policies and Chairman of the Supervisory Committee on documentation activities and on the Chamber of Deputies Library.
Together with his staff, he activated the Business Microcredit Fund, financed with contributions from the salaries of the MPs and Senators of the M5S (Five Star Movement).
On 2 June 2018, he was appointed Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Economic Development and Minister of Labour and Social Policies.
On 5 September 2019, he was sworn in as Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation.
On 13 February 2021, following the change in government, he was confirmed in the role of Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation.
To mark the Freedom Online Coalition’s (FOC) 10th anniversary, Finland, as the Chair, is organising a virtual FOC 10th Anniversary Ministerial Meeting on 3 December 2021, hosted by Pekka Haavisto, the Finnish Minister for Foreign Affairs. The Ministerial, the culmination of Finland’s FOC Chairship, is an important opportunity to raise the visibility of the Coalition and to set the FOC's goals and vision for the 2020s.