The European Federalist Free Entrepreneurs - Entrepreneurs' Trade Union (Liberi Imprenditori Federalisti Europei - Sindacato Imprenditori, LIFE) is an association of entrepreneurs based in Veneto, one of the regions of Italy.
It was founded in 1994 by a group of venetist entrepreneurs (among them Fabio Padovan and Diego Cancian) who were demanding fiscal federalism for Veneto, as an answer to what they called "the fiscal and bureaucratic oppression" of the Italian State, perceived as centralist and distant from the interests and the rights of the "Venetian People". In particular, they decided to organize themselves as a trade union, saying that they were the most oppressed workers in Italy.
LIFE defends and represents primarily the interests of small and medium-sized businesses (which are under-represented in big-business dominated Confindustria, Italian employers' federation, and takes a libertarian stance against big government bureaucracy and monopolies.
Some of them were also involved in politics and especially in the Liga Veneta-Lega Nord's ranks, even if most of them were soon disillusioned about it, perceived as too much moderate and Lombardy-centred, and tempted to form alternative venetist parties. Between them it is to remember: Fabio Padovan (member of the Chamber of Deputies for Liga Veneta-Lega Nord in 1992-94, founder of Fronte Marco Polo in 2000 and founding member of Liga Fronte Veneto in 2001), Giorgio Panto (member of Liga Veneta-Lega Nord and founder of North-East Project in 2004) and Diego Cancian (member of Liga Veneta-Lega Nord and regional councilor for North-East Project from 2005).
Since its foundation LIFE started to evolve to be a more broadly-based association and indeed in the last years it gained strength among entrepreneurs of Lombardy, Piedmont and Friuli-Venezia Giulia. During its history it cooperated both with regionalist movements all around Northern Italy and with the free-market libertarian Bonino List and, in general, with the Italian Radicals, maintaining even a radio program at Radio Radicale.
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