Giorgio Ruffolo (14 August 1926 – 16 February 2023) was an Italian economist, journalist and politician who held several government posts and was the minister of environment for five years between 1987 and 1992 in four successive cabinets.

[5] Ruffolo was the president and cofounder of the Europa Research Center (Centro Europa Ricerche), a Rome-based research institute in applied economic analysis with a special reference to the central issues for Italian and European economic policy.

[6][7][8] The other founders of the institute included Antonio Pedone and Luigi Spaventa.

[7] Ruffolo was also the president of a public investment company, Finanziaria Meridionale, which had been established to improve the economic development of Southern Italy.

[10] During his term, the ministry published the first report about the environmental conditions in the country.