Autonomists for Europe

Autonomists for Europe ("Autonomisti per l'Europa", ApE) is a minor regionalist, christian-democratic and liberal Italian political party. Founded in 2000 by splinters of Lega Nord [ [http://www.radioradicale.it/scheda/172610/nasce-lape-conferenza-stampa-di-d-comino-e-v-gnutti Nasce l'ApE: Conferenza stampa di D.Comino e V.Gnutti | RadioRadicale.it ] ] as a potentially dangerous competitor, is now a rather marginal force. Its leading members were Vito Gnutti and Domenico Comino, both former Ministers for Lega Nord in Berlusconi I Cabinet.

The party was started as a federation of regional parties on the example of Lega Nord: Lombardy Lombardy, Future Veneto (which finally merged with Liga Veneta Repubblica to form Veneti d'Europa), Piedmont, Giulian Front (which then re-gained much of its independence), Future Liguria and Tuscanian Homelands. The party was mainly composed by moderate members of Lega Nord who wanted to join forces with Silvio Berlusconi's Forza Italia, at a time when the League was perceived to be closer to the centre-left.

During the XIII Legislature of the Italian Parliament, at its highest point, the party had 7 senators (Vito Gnutti, Roberto Avogadro, Walter Bianco, Giuseppe Ceccato, Luciano Lago, Luciano Lorenzi and Donato Manfroi) and 6 deputies (Domenico Comino, Mario Lucio Barral, Elena Ciapusci, Franca Gambato, Daniele Roscia and Stefano Signorini). When Lega Nord formed an alliance with Forza Italia and the other parties of the centre-right, the House of Freedoms, ApE lost its reason of existence.

Prior to the 2001 general election the Autonomists formed a group in the Senate with Giulio Andreotti and other disgruntled Christian democrats from the centre-left. With these people they took part to the foundation of European Democracy, which was merged in the Union of Christian and Centre Democrats (UDC) in 2002. At that time ApE was almost disbanded and most of its members joined UDC too. What remains of the party takes part only to local electoral contexts, often under the banner of other larger parties, such as the Italy of Values in Milan [http://www.lombardia.antoniodipietro.it/Comunicati/Martucci/APE_IDV_FERRANTE.pdf] . At the national level the party generally supports The Union, the centre-left coalition led by Romano Prodi.

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