ABSTRACT: In the joint declaration, the Secretary Emma Bonino and the Treasurer Paolo Vigevano, considering the need for "others to assume the responsibility which have so far been borne only by the "radical founding fathers", deem that "the moment has come to allow a change in the guard in the post of treasurer". Thus, the treasurer Paolo Vigevano resigns; the outgoing secretary and treasurer back "the member of the Italian Parliament Ottavio Lavaggi" as candidate for the post. (Below is a brief CV of Ottavio Lavaggi).

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The secretary and the treasurer of the radical party by mutual consent,

considering the situation of extraordinary political growth as well as the new financial conditions after more than 35,000 Italian citizens joined the radical party,

considering that administering such political and economic assets makes it all the more necessary for others to assume responsibilities which have so far been borne exclusively by the "radical founding fathers"

considering that the availability of such resources would in itself reflect the degree of success of the radical party,

considering the extreme difficulty of carrying out this task, especially for the treasurer Paolo Vigevano who has fulfilled this task for over five years as well as being in charge of the Centro di Produzione s.p.a., the company that manages Radio Radicale,

considering that the further protraction of this dual task for Paolo Vigevano, which has been the consequence of the party's dramatic situation over the past four years, would only represent, in the current new situation, a limitation of resources which the party direly needs,

deem that the party's extraordinary and positive situation makes this the best moment to allow for a change in the position of treasurer for the first time in years;

believe that such change can and should be achieved during this meeting of the General Council.

Thus, with the present declaration, the treasurer Paolo Vigevano resigns.

The secretary of the Radical Party and the outgoing Treasurer back the Italian member of Parliament Ottavio Lavaggi as the candidate for this post.

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Ottavio Lavaggi, member of the Radical Party, elected on April 5 1995 member of the Italian Parliament on the lists of the Republican Party, is the representative of this party at the committee for foreign affairs.

Already back in 1977-78 he was in charge of international relations for the Republican youth federation, whose national secretariat he was a member of.

As of 1980 he worked in Brussels as official of the European Parliament, and collaborated with Altiero Spinelli in the draft Union Treaty which paved the way for the negotiations that lead to the Luxembourg Single Act and the subsequent treaties of Maastricht.

Former secretary of the Liberal and Democratic European parliamentary group under the Bangeman presidency (subsequently minister of economy of the RFT and currently vice-president of the E.C. Commission), of Simone Veil, (former president of the European Parliament) and Valéry Giscard d'Estaing (former president of the French Republic).

Former vice-president and then president (1979-83) of the International federation of the Liberal and Radical youth (IFLRY). From 1982 to 1984, president of the political Forum of the EEC Youth, an organization of political and non-political associations of the European Community.