Tag: Mario Monti

Outgoing Italian Prime Minister Mario Monti and centre-left leader Pier Luigi Bersani moved closer to agreement on Monday (15 April) on choosing a new president, a vital step to ending the stalemate created by an inconclusive election in February.

Italy should press ahead with reforms to improve its economic growth potential, warned EU Commission President José Manuel Barroso yesterday (27 February) after a meeting in Brussels with outgoing Prime Minister Mario Monti.

Italians head to the polls on 24-25 February to replace a technocratic government charged with halting the country’s economic and fiscal decline. But after wearying months of austerity and instability, voters appeared to have no clear favourite among familiar faces as well as wildcard candidates. EurActiv Italia reports.

Speaking in Brussels a week before EU leaders are set to find an agreement on the 2014-2020 EU budget, Italian Prime Minister Mario Monti warned against a political fight which would undermine the need for more growth and jobs, at a time when fiscal consolidation and austerity measures have taken a severe toll on economic recovery.

Outgoing Italian Prime Minister Mario Monti said on Monday (31 December) he was aiming to win a majority in a parliamentary election in February and would seek alliances with parties agreeing with his pro-Europe agenda.

The Italian political saga took another turn after both outgoing Prime Minister Mario Monti and former premier Silvio Berlusconi appeared at the European People’s Party meeting on the margins of the EU summit today (13 December) in Brussels.

European partners urged the next Italian government on Monday (10 December) to stick to Prime Minister Mario Monti's reform agenda, after his decision to resign early and Silvio Berlusconi's return to frontline politics rattled financial markets.

Italy should reassure markets that its economic reforms will not be reversed after Silvio Berlusconi's PDL party withdrew support for the government, OECD chief economist Pier Carlo Padoan said on Friday (7 December).

This week offers us an opportunity to look back at the significant achievements that have been made in opening up Europe's markets. There is no doubt that it has provided new opportunities to businesses and consumers, who can take advantage of a market place that boasts over 500 million consumers, writes Malcolm Harbour.

Europe needs continuity and stability at the helm of government to make it stronger and more resilient, European Commission Vice President Viviane Reding said in an interview with EurActiv Italy, while also pushing for a third Barroso term at the Commission.

Italy needs moral support from Germany but not its cash, Prime Minister Mario Monti said in an interview published on Sunday (5 August), as German conservatives renewed calls for Greece to leave the euro zone.

German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schäuble and U.S. counterpart Timothy Geithner said yesterday (30 July) they were confident the countries of the euro zone would implement reforms needed to overcome their sovereign debt crisis. Meanwhile, business confidence in the EU showed a serious decline in July.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel sought to bury once and for all the idea of common eurozone bonds yesterday (26 June), as Italian Prime Minister Mario Monti repeated calls to use the EU's bailout funds to ease pressure on Italian debt.

The leaders of Germany, France, Italy and Spain will try to find common ground in Rome today (22 June) to restore confidence in the eurozone ahead of a full EU summit next week.

In an unusual departure from traditional EU language, European Commission vice-president Olli Rehn and Italy’s Prime Minister Mario Monti have issued dramatic warnings yesterday (31 May) on the euro zone, while European Central Bank chief Mario Draghi openly admitted that the common currency was fighting for its survival. 

If François Hollande wins the French presidential elections on Sunday, Italy can help forge a rebalancing of the Franco-German couple, especially after Angela Merkel yesterday (3 May) said Europe needs "political courage and creativity rather than billions of euro,” reports EurActiv Italy.

Addressing the European Parliament in Strasbourg, Italian Prime Minister Mario Monti warned against the dangerous divisions fuelled by eurozone problems and said that even though southern countries were widely blamed for the debt crisis, France and Germany also carried major responsibility for watering down the bloc's fiscal rules. EurActiv Italy reports.

Giulio Terzi di Sant'Agata, Italy's foreign minister, has re-affirmed his government's pro-EU orientation, saying in an exclusive interview with EurActiv Italy that "the single currency is irreversible". The former ambassador to Washington also pledged to work closely with the US on policy towards the Middle East and Islamist terrorism.

Italy risked a Greek-style economic collapse which could threaten the future of the euro without the austerity package approved by the government, Prime Minister Mario Monti said yesterday (5 December), calling on European partners to do their part.

After talks with the new Italian Prime Minister Mario Monti, Commission President José Manuel Barroso said he was confident that Italy would deliver the needed structural reforms to balance the budget. 

Italy’s caretaker government led by Mario Monti is expected to outline new austerity measures aimed at restoring confidence in Italy's strained public finances today when the newly appointed prime minister goes before the Senate to seek a vote of confidence.

The Greek crisis may well be remembered in the future as the best success story of the euro, said Italy's former EU Commissioner and president of Bocconi University, Mario Monti, speaking at the launch event of EurActiv Italy on Monday (17 October).

EU leaders should examine their consciences and take responsibility when it comes to dealing with Greece and enforcing budget rules, said Mario Monti in an exclusive interview with EurActiv Italy.