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| Team Köllensperger | |
|---|---|
| Name | Team Köllensperger |
| Native name | Team Köllensperger |
| Country | Italy |
| Founded | 2018 |
| Leader | Mella Köllensperger |
| Headquarters | Bolzano |
| Ideology | Populism, Regionalism, Progressivism |
| Seats1 title | Landtag of South Tyrol |
Team Köllensperger is a regional political grouping active in South Tyrol within Italy that emerged from a split in the regional political party landscape driven by tensions involving representatives of South Tyrolean People's Party, Südtiroler Volkspartei, and politicians linked to Movimento 5 Stelle. The grouping was founded in 2018 and quickly participated in provincial elections and local elections, competing against established formations such as Lega Nord, Forza Italia, and Partito Democratico. It has positioned itself amid debates involving autonomy, European Union, and relations with Austria and Germany.
Founded in 2018 by defectors and associates connected to representatives formerly aligned with Südtiroler Volkspartei, Movimento 5 Stelle, and independent civic activists, the group rose during the aftermath of disputes involving Arno Kompatscher's regional administration, controversies with Andreas Köllensperger, and movements around self-determination and regional governance. Early campaigns targeted seats in the Landtag of South Tyrol and municipal councils in Bolzano, Merano, and Brixen. Electoral contests brought the grouping into contention with Green parties, liberal formations, and centrist lists such as Scelta Civica. Subsequent internal reorganizations reflected pressures from legal frameworks in Corte Costituzionale rulings, administrative decisions by Provincia Autonoma, and interactions with civic networks tied to Caritas and SOS Children’s Villages.
The grouping articulated a platform combining regionalist claims for enhanced autonomy and administrative reform with elements of populism and progressive social policy influenced by debates in Green Europe and Progressive Alliance. Key planks synthesized positions on minority rights for German-speaking South Tyroleans, cross-border cooperation with Tyrol and Vorarlberg, fiscal arrangements under rules influenced by European Union law, and social welfare measures resonant with programs from Partito Democratico and Sinistra Ecologia Libertà. The platform also addressed infrastructure issues linked to Brenner Pass, environmental concerns near the Parco Nazionale dello Stelvio, and cultural policies referencing UNESCO World Heritage Sites in the region.
Leadership initially coalesced around figures with roots in municipal politics in Bolzano and provincial representation in the Landtag of South Tyrol, including prominent local politicians and civic activists connected to consumer associations and trade unions such as CGIL. Organizational organs included an executive committee, local chapters in municipalities like Merano, and a youth wing that engaged with student organizations at University of Innsbruck and Free University of Bozen-Bolzano. The group maintained relations with independent think tanks and policy institutes active in Vienna and Rome, and its internal statutes referenced compliance with electoral law overseen by Ministero dell'Interno and transparency norms linked to European Ombudsman standards.
In its first provincial electoral outing the grouping contested lists for the 2018 provincial elections and subsequent municipal ballots in Bolzano and Merano. Vote shares placed it behind the Südtiroler Volkspartei and ahead of several local civic lists, translating into a small number of seats in the Landtag of South Tyrol and representation on municipal councils. Subsequent European Parliament elections, national parliamentary contests for the Camera dei Deputati and Senato della Repubblica, and regional by-elections produced variable results as the group negotiated alliances with centrist lists, independent personalities, and transregional movements such as Zaia's League-aligned lists and green-liberal coalitions.
Legislative initiatives and policy proposals from the group addressed language rights for German-speaking South Tyroleans codified under provincial statutes, fiscal autonomy arrangements with references to precedents in Aosta Valley and Trentino, environmental safeguards for areas adjoining Dolomites UNESCO sites, and infrastructure projects related to the Brenner Base Tunnel. The group sponsored motions and amendments in the Landtag concerning bilingual education, healthcare services parity with Trentino-Alto Adige, and measures to support small and medium-sized enterprises informed by policy briefs from OECD and regional chambers of commerce. It engaged in parliamentary scrutiny of provincial budgets and participated in committees on transport, culture, and social affairs.
Strategic cooperation occurred with civic lists, environmental groups, and occasionally with moderate factions of Südtiroler Volkspartei and centrist parties such as Partito Democratico in issue-specific coalitions on autonomy and cultural policy. At times the grouping explored ties with transnational actors in Tyrol and networks linking to Austrian People's Party and Green Party (Austria), while negotiating electoral pacts with local citizen movements and independent lists. Coalition-building balanced relations with far-right formations like Lega Nord and pro-EU parties such as Forza Italia or Azione depending on municipal and provincial arithmetic.
Category:Political parties in South Tyrol