Beatrice Rangoni Machiavelli

Beatrice Rangoni Machiavelli is an Italian politician, author, and activist. She was President of the Economic and Social Committee of the European Union from 1998 to 2000.^[1]

She was born in Rome to a prominent family and studied physics and political science. She started her career as a journalist and essayist. From 1985 to 1994 she co-edited Libro Aperto magazine with Giovanni Malagodi. For ten years she directed the weekly La Tribuna, the press organ of the Italian Liberal Party. In 1982 she became a member of the European Economic and Social Committee, on which she served until 2002. On October 15, 1998, she was elected President of the committee.^[1][2]

In an interview Machiavelli said that as a member of a wealthy Lombard family, she grew up around educated, emancipated women. It was not until she read Ainsi soit-elle by the feminist author Benoîte Groult that she became aware of the subjugation of women outside her privileged circle. She became a strong advocate for women's rights, as well as human rights in general. As a member of Les Femmes d'Europe, a feminist organization, she worked for the rights of women prisoners. She was the Italian correspondent for Women of Europe, a magazine published in nine languages by the European Community. She was part of the Italian delegation to the United Nations World Conference on Women in Nairobi, Kenya, in 1985.^[2]

She is a patron of the International Network of Liberal Women^[3] and a member of the Board of Directors of the National Association of Public Service Users (Assoutenti); Italian Society for International Organization (SIOI); Atlantic Committee (ATA); and the Italian Association of Women for Development (AIDOS). She has published essays and articles on economic and social problems and on the theme of European integration.^[1] In 2016 she self-published a memoir, Viaggio Nella Memoria.^[4]

In 2000 she was named a "Woman Who Makes a Difference" by the International Women's Forum.^[5] The following year she was named an officer of the Legion of Honour by French president Jacques Chirac for her dedication to the European cause.^[6] In 2005 she was named a Grand Officer of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic by president Carlo Azeglio Ciampi.^[7]

• Beatrice Rangoni Machiavelli in libraries (WorldCat catalog)