Francesca Donato

Francesca Donato MEP
Member of the European Parliament for Italy
In office 1 July 2019[1][2] – 16 July 2024
Personal details
Born	(1969-08-25) 25 August 1969 (age 55) Ancona, Italy
Political party	Christian Democracy (since 2023)
Other political affiliations	League (2014–2021)
Height	1.75 m (5 ft 9 in)
Alma mater	University of Modena
Profession	Lawyer

Francesca Donato (born 25 August 1969) is an Italian politician who was elected as a member of the European Parliament in the 2019 European Parliament election in Italy, representing Lega Nord.[3]

On 25 May 2024, the husband of MEP Francesca Donato, Angelo Onorato, was found dead in his car in Palermo. Donato has claimed that he was murdered, while the police investigation is still ongoing.[4][5]

European Parliament

Donato was part of the Identity and Democracy group in the European Parliament, following her election in 2019. In September 2021, she was expelled from both Lega Nord and the Identity and Democracy group due to her stance against the EU Digital COVID Certificate, subsequently becoming an independent politician, and a non-inscrit member of the European Parliament.

On 2 March 2022, Donato voted against condemning the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine,[6] joining 12 other MEPs in this position.[7] Her Facebook page was closed in March 2022 after she shared news information identified as fake news.[8]

Donato voted against the European Parliament resolution of 23 November 2022, which recognised the Russian Federation as a state sponsor of terrorism.[9][10]

References

1. "Key dates ahead". European Parliament. 20 May 2017. Retrieved 28 May 2019.
2. "Key dates ahead". BBC News. 22 May 2017. Retrieved 28 May 2019.
3. "Elezioni europee, eletti Berlusconi e Calenda, fuori i Mussolini: tutti i nomi dei nuovi deputati". Today.
4. "Palermo, trovato morto in auto il marito dell'eurodeputata Donato - Notizie - Ansa.it". Agenzia ANSA (in Italian). 25 May 2024. Retrieved 25 May 2024.
5. Barolini, Andrea; Brezar, Aleksandar (27 May 2024). "Death of Italian MEP's husband raises questions of foul play". euronews. Retrieved 29 May 2024.
6. "Italian Eurodeputy believes EU contributed heavily to conflict over Ukraine". TASS. 13 March 2022.
7. Crowcroft, Orlando (2 March 2022). "We asked 13 MEPs why they voted no to condemn Russia's war in Ukraine". euronews. Retrieved 25 November 2022.
8. "No! Questo non è un video dell'ospedale pediatrico bombardato a Mariupol". Open (in Italian). 10 March 2022. Retrieved 7 April 2022.
9. "European Parliament resolution of 23 November 2022 on recognising the Russian Federation as a state sponsor of terrorism".
10. "La risoluzione del Parlamento Europeo per dichiarare la Russia uno Stato sponsor del terrorismo" (in Italian). 25 November 2022. Retrieved 25 November 2022.

External links

• Home | Francesca DONATO | MEPs | European Parliament