Action (Italy)

In January 2019 Calenda, a member of the centre-left Democratic Party (PD), launched a political manifesto named "We Are Europeans", with the aim of creating a joint list composed of the PD and other progressive and pro-Europeanist parties for the upcoming European Parliament election.[11] His proposal was welcomed by new PD's leader, Nicola Zingaretti, but was rejected by the other parties within the centre-left coalition, like More Europe and Italy in Common, which decided not to join the alliance.[12]

Carlo Calenda in 2019

In the run-up to the European election, Zingaretti and Calenda presented a special logo including a large reference to "We Are Europeans" and the symbol of the Party of European Socialists.[13] Additionally, they forged an alliance with Article One, a party established in 2017 by splinters from the PD led by Pier Luigi Bersani.[14]

In the election, the PD gained 22.7% of votes, coming second after the League,[15] while Calenda, who ran in the North-East constituency, received more than 270,000 votes, becoming the most voted candidate of the list.[16]

In August 2019 tensions grew within the coalition supporting the Giuseppe Conte's first government, leading to the issuing of a motion of no-confidence by the League.[17] During the following government crisis, the national board of the PD officially opened to the possibility of forming a new cabinet in a coalition with the M5S,[18] based on pro-Europeanism, green economy, sustainable development, fight against economic inequality and a new immigration policy.[19] The party also accepted that Conte might continue at the head of a new government,[20] and on 29 August President Mattarella formally invested Conte to do so.[21] Calenda strongly opposed the new government, stating the PD had renounced any representation of "reformists",[22] so it became necessary to found a "liberal-progressive" movement.[23] Calenda left the PD and on 5 September 2019, while Conte's second government was sworn in, and officially announced the transformation of SE into a full-fledged party.[24]

On 10 September Matteo Richetti, a prominent senator of the PD, announced his abstention from the vote of confidence on the new government and his subsequent exit from the party.[25] He stated that he would join forces with Calenda.[26]

In November 2019 the new party was officially launched as "Action".[27] After a few months, Calenda launched the "Action Groups", the party's local sections.[28]

• Leader: Carlo Calenda (2019–present)

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  Action logo
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  We Are Europeans logo

• Official website