RESOLUTION
WHEREAS, The Members of this Chamber warmly welcome Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi, who will be visiting the City of Chicago on March'29 and 30 of this year; and
WHEREAS, While in Chicago, Prime Minister Renzi will visit the Fermi National Acceleratory Laboratory, Eataly and the Chicago Art Institute. Prime Minister Renzi will also speak at an Italian Manufacturing Forum and privately meet with Mayor Emanuel. He will also be honored at a dinner with local business leaders and visit with others in the Italian-American community of Chicago; and
WHEREAS, Matteo Renzi became the 56th Prime Minister of Italy on February 22, 2014. Now age 41, he has the distinction of being the youngest Prime Minister in Italian history. He has served as the Secretary of the Democratic Party since December 15, 2013. Prior to becoming Italian Prime Minister, Matteo Renzi was the Mayor of Florence from 2009 to 2014, and Chicago was pleased to have hosted a visit by him during that time; and
WHEREAS, Involved in language programs, education, culture, culinary arts and business, the Italian-American community is part of every facet of Chicago. Italians constitute the fourth largest European ethnic group in the Chicago area; and
WHEREAS, The City of Chicago and the Italian Republic have a deep and lasting economic connection. Currently the annual trade between Chicago and Italy is $2.1 billion USD; and
WHEREAS, Chicago has many educational exchanges with Italy, including the Loyola University John Felice Rome Center, established in 1962 and the annual Italian language program in Italy with DePaul University; and
WHEREAS, Chicago has been proud of its Sister City relationship with Milan since 1973. In September 2015, over 40 members of Chicago's business, cultural, culinary and civic communities traveled to Milan to highlight the strong relationship between the two cities during Expo Milano 2015. Chicago's Lagunitas Brewing Company created Fusion 31 Mozango, a special beer to celebrate the traveling delegation; and
WHEREAS, All Chicagoans are proud and honored to welcome Prime Minister Matteo Renzi to our City; now, therefore,
BE IT RESOLVED, That we, the Mayor and Members of the City Council of the City of Chicago, assembled this sixteenth day of March, 2016, do hereby extend our warmest welcome to Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi upon his visit to Chicago on March 29 and 30. We wish him a pleasant stay in our grand city; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to Prime Minister Matteo Renzi of Italy as a gesture of our esteem and good wishes.
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