On September 29, 2024, Berlusconi's birthday, Italy issued a self-adhesive stamp dedicated to the politician and entrepreneur Silvio Berlusconi (1936-2023). Berlusconi was a four times Prime Minister of Italy (1994/1995, 2001-2005, 2005-2006, 2008-2011).

Berlusconi was also the founder and majority shareholder of the company Fininvest, which is mainly active in the media market. He also owned the soccer club AC Milan from 1986 to 2017. On the other hand, Berlusconi was controversial. In 2011, he was convicted of tax fraud, which also led to him being stripped of his political mandate for several years. Unexplained money flows and potential mafia connections remain unresolved to this day.

The „Süd-Tiroler Freiheit“ (South Tirol Freedom) party described the issuing of the stamp as “nonsense” and called for it to be abandoned. This was justified by Berlusconi's relativizing statements about Mussolini and his alleged disregard for South Tyrolean autonomy and culture. The fact that Berlusconi was a controversial figure and had damaged Italy's image was also cited as a reason for the rejection.