[8] Originally launched as We Are Europeans (Siamo Europei, SE), it adopted its current name in November 2019 upon becoming a fully-fledged party.

[15] Carlo Calenda, who had been active within Luca Cordero di Montezemolo's Future Italy, was an unsuccessful candidate for the centrist Civic Choice (SC) party in the 2013 general election.

[17] His proposal was welcomed by Nicola Zingaretti, then leader of the PD, but rejected by other parties within the centre-left coalition, including More Europe (+E) and Italia in Comune.

In August 2019, tensions grew within the coalition supporting the first government of Giuseppe Conte, leading to the issuing of a motion of no-confidence by the League.

[23] During the following government crisis, the PD national board officially endorsed the possibility of forming a new cabinet in a coalition with the Five Star Movement (M5S),[24] based on pro-Europeanism, green economy, sustainable development, fight against economic inequality and a new immigration policy.

[27] Calenda strongly opposed the new government, stating that the PD had renounced any representation of the "reformists",[28] and that therefore it became necessary to establish a "liberal-progressive" movement.

Early members of the party included Raffaele Bonanni (former secretary-general of the Italian Confederation of Workers' Trade Unions), Vincenzo Camporini (former Chief of the Defence Staff), Mario Raffaelli (former long-time deputy and under-secretary for the Italian Socialist Party), Walter Ricciardi (former president of the Istituto Superiore di Sanità) and Ugo Rossi (former President of Trentino).

[13] The assembly welcomed several guest speakers, notably including Stéphane Séjourné of Renew Europe, Enrico Letta of the PD, Giancarlo Giorgetti of the League, Antonio Tajani of FI and Ettore Rosato of IV, as well as Benedetto Della Vedova of +E and the representatives of the other liberal parties with which Action had been cooperating.

[53][54] Calenda explained that Action would dialogue with all main parties, except the M5S and the Brothers of Italy (FdI),[54][55][56] whose leaders were not invited to participate in the congress.

[57][58] In the coming weeks, senator Leonardo Grimani (ex-PD and ex-IV)[59] and deputies Claudio Pedrazzini, Osvaldo Napoli and Daniela Ruffino (all three ex-FI and ex-Cambiamo!

[65] Consequently, Draghi tendered his final resignation to President Mattarella, who dissolved the houses of Parliament, leading to the 2022 general election.

[69] In the event, Calenda hoped that also other leading dissidents of FI, including ministers Mariastella Gelmini and Mara Carfagna, could soon join the party.

[92][93] Also Ettore Rosato, another IV leading member, was critical and seemed interested in joining Action, but, before leaving the party, he was expelled by Renzi.

[107][108] As a result, a minority of More Europe, including its president Federico Pizzarotti, left the party, joined Action and will run in the election.

This caused the exit of four senior centre-right figures, namely president Carfagna, deputy secretaries Costa and Gelmini, as well as Giusy Versace.