Former Italian foreign minister and civil rights leader Emma Bonino dies at 78

Hospitalisation and passing in Rome

Emma Bonino, a former Italian foreign minister, European Commissioner, and civil rights advocate, died on Friday morning, 11 September 2026, at the age of 78. Her political party, More Europe (+Europa), announced her death at a private clinic in Rome. Bonino had been admitted in code red to Rome's Santo Spirito hospital on Sunday, 6 September 2026, following an acute respiratory crisis. She remained in intensive care until Thursday, 10 September 2026, when she was transferred to the private facility where she died the following day. Three years before her death, Bonino had announced that she was in remission following treatment for lung cancer. Party secretary Riccardo Magi, deputy leader Antonella Soldo, deputy Benedetto Della Vedova, and party president Matteo Hallissey gathered at the clinic on Friday to pay their respects.

Parliamentary career and European leadership

Bonino was first elected to the Italian Chamber of Deputies in 1976 at the age of 28. Over five decades in public service, she was elected eight times to the Italian parliament, securing six terms in the Lower House and two in the Senate, alongside four terms as a Member of the European Parliament. She co-led the Italian Radical Party with Marco Pannella before later founding More Europe. In 1995, she was appointed European Commissioner for Health and Consumer Protection, a post she held until 1999. Bonino subsequently served in two Italian cabinets, holding the portfolio for international trade and European affairs under Prime Minister Romano Prodi between 2006 and 2008, and serving as foreign minister in Enrico Letta's government between 2013 and 2014.

Civil rights campaigning and foster motherhood

Bonino began her national political activism during the 1970s, playing a central role in referendum and legislative campaigns for the legalisation of divorce and abortion in Italy through the Information Centre on Sterilisation and Abortion (CISA). During the height of those campaigns, she fostered two young girls, Aurora and Rugiada, whose mothers faced severe difficulties. The formal foster arrangements were registered with the Juvenile Court and ended after several years when Aurora returned to her biological parents and Rugiada went to live with her grandparents. Bonino maintained a lifelong relationship with Rugiada, later celebrating the birth of Rugiada's child on 12 January 2007, which made Bonino a grandmother without having been a biological mother.

Tributes and preparations for a state funeral

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni announced that the government is organising a state funeral for Bonino, which party officials anticipate will take place early next week alongside a public lying-in-state. Speaking to reporters in Vercelli, Meloni acknowledged their long-standing political differences while praising Bonino's dedication to women's standing in society.

Emma Bonino and I held very different views. But that never stopped me from respecting her expertise, her authoritativeness, and her understanding that a woman's role in society -- including in politics -- is never something you wait for others to grant you; it is something you must play your part in taking.

Italian President Sergio Mattarella commended her lifelong work across Italian and European institutions.

She left an indelible mark on the life of the Republic through her tenacious, consistent commitment. A Radical, a liberal, a feminist, and a staunch pro-European, she played a leading role in movements and reforms that shaped the course of our society.

European Parliament groups including the European People's Party and Renew Europe offered condolences, as did former prime minister Romano Prodi and regional officials from Valle d'Aosta. In contrast, Maurizio Bolognetti, secretary of Radicali Lucani, offered a critical assessment, citing long-standing disagreements between Bonino and Marco Pannella.