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Boris Biancheri

The head of ECFR's Rome office, Silvia Francescon, pays tribute to Boris Biancheri, who has passed away

When I joined ECFR, one of the first things Board Member Emma Bonino told me was: “it is very important to have Boris Biancheri in the Council, it is important to engage him in our work, very important”.

A few months later Ambassador Biancheri joined ECFR's Council, and I was among the fortunate ones to have the privilege to understand why it was so important to have him with us.

Certainly it was important because he was one of the most brilliant and prestigious Italian diplomats, having being Ambassador to Tokyo, London and Washington. He was also a columninst for La Stampa, President of ANSA (the Italian news agency), and ISPI (Istituto per gli Studi di Politica Internazionale, one of the most prestigious Italian think tanks).

But it was not only because all of this. His dedication to Italy beyond the politics and his true commitment to European values and democratic institutions were absolute.

We worked together on a project, “Europa dis-unita? United we stand” convinced that to face the economic crisis we need a political Europe, beyond the monetary union. This was the continuation of another debate we had over a dinner on Germany in Europe, where we discussed the necessity to work together to have the Germany Europe needs. In all these circumstances, I was particularly impressed by the clarity and simplicity with which he was able to communicate complex issues, even to the broader public.

Most of all, I will always treasure his kindness, his gentle smile and his humanity.  

Thank you for having been with us, Ambassador Biancheri.