1. How would you describe your political/leadership style in three words?
I am direct - when I have a problem, I don’t need middle people, I go straight to the roots and solve it. Hard-working - I work every day from morning till late at night and I love to do so. pragmatic-idealist - I dare to dream and then I start working towards that dream.
2. What is the smallest change you have made in your career that has had the biggest positive result?
I used to be a person that analysed all the options and deliberated a lot before making a decision. At one point I decided to change that approach, I realised that even a bad decision is better that no decision. I started taking decisions faster and this was better suited to me, to my personality and it resulted not just in one positive outcome, but in a totally positive approach to life.
3. Is there anything you have personally achieved or done that would surprise people?
It was a political decision at a moment when nobody expected it. I was member in a political party a few years ago and after that party won the elections I decided to change the party, to go to an almost unknown one with no popularity and no perspectives. It was a matter of principle, I am a convinced liberal and the party just started to take populist decisions with no connection to liberalism. I gave up the winning cup for a lot of work and fight. I still consider it the best decision I’ve ever made.
4. What do you do in your free time to relax and unwind?
There are two things I like to do to relax. I like to listen to the birds and to the sound of nature. I start my day on the balcony, and I listen to the birds in the morning, with no traffic, no noise other that the wind in the trees. That is very relaxing. I also like to swim. I can hardly wait for the restrictions to be lifted to go swimming as often as possible.
5. What was the most inspirational and influential book you have read and why?
I loved The Churchill Factor. Although I don’t agree with the politics of Boris Johnson, I like his writing very much, especially the way he talks about one of the greatest political personalities of all time. The contribution of Winston Churchill to the creation of the European Union cannot be contested, and the Union he and all the others pursued was not only a brilliant idea, but also an extremely practical one. The way we are today, the wellbeing at the European level could have not been achieved without Churchill.