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Mario Monti

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Mario Monti
Prime Minister of Italy
Incumbent
Assumed office
16 November 2011
PresidentGiorgio Napolitano
Preceded bySilvio Berlusconi
Minister of Economy and Finance
Incumbent
Assumed office
16 November 2011
Preceded byGiulio Tremonti
European Commissioner for Competition
In office
15 September 1999 – 30 October 2004
PresidentRomano Prodi
Preceded byKarel Van Miert
Succeeded byNeelie Kroes
European Commissioner for Internal Market, Services, Customs and Taxation
In office
18 January 1995 – 15 September 1999
PresidentJacques Santer
Manuel Marín (Acting)
Preceded byRaniero Vanni d'Archirafi
Succeeded byFrits Bolkestein
Senator for Life of the Italian Senate
Incumbent
Assumed office
9 November 2011
PresidentGiorgio Napolitano
Personal details
Born (1943-03-19) 19 March 1943 (age 81)
Varese, Italy
Political partyIndependent
SpouseYes
ChildrenTwo
Alma materBocconi University
Yale University

Mario Monti (Italian pronunciation: [ˈmaːrjo ˈmonti]; born 19 March 1943) is an Italian economist and academic who is Prime Minister of Italy, as well as Minister of Economy and Finance; he took office in November 2011.

He served as a European Commissioner from 1995 to 2004, with responsibility for the Internal Market, Services, Customs and Taxation from 1995 to 1999 and then for Competition from 1999 to 2004. Monti has also been Rector and President of Bocconi University in Milan. On 12 November 2011, in the midst of a financial crisis, he was invited by Italian President Giorgio Napolitano to form a new technocratic government in Italy following the resignation of Silvio Berlusconi. Monti was sworn in as Prime Minister on 16 November 2011, just a week after having been appointed a Senator for Life.

Background

He was born in Varese on 19 March 1943.[2] His mother was from Piacenza and his father grew up in Varese, though he was born in Luján in the Buenos Aires Province, Argentina, where the Monti family had emigrated in the 19th century and built up a soft-drink- and beer-production business.[3][4] Monti's father left Italy for Argentina during World War II, but later returned to his family home in Varese.[5]

Academic career

Monti holds a degree in economics and management from Bocconi University, located in Milan. He completed graduate studies at Yale University,[6] located in the American city of New Haven, Connecticut, where he studied under James Tobin, a recipient of the Nobel Prize in Economics.[7]

He taught economics at the University of Turin from 1970 to 1985 before moving to Bocconi University, where he was its Rector from 1999 to 2001, and has been its President since 1994. He was also the President of SUERF (The European Money and Finance Forum) from 1982 to 1985.[8] His research has helped to create the "Klein-Monti model", aimed at describing the behaviour of banks operating under monopoly circumstances.

Institutional activity

Mario Monti with President of the Italian Republic Giorgio Napolitano after the Monti government's appointment

He started his involvement in the European Commission on a traineeship organised by AIESEC, a global student organisation promoting leadership.

In 1994, Monti was appointed to the European Commission, along with compatriot Emma Bonino, by the first Silvio Berlusconi government. In his capacity as a European Commissioner from 1995, he was responsible for Internal Market, Financial Services and Financial Integration, Customs, and Taxation. His work with the commission has earned him the nickname "Super Mario" from his colleagues and from the press.[9]

Four years later, in 1999, Massimo D'Alema's government confirmed his appointment to the new European Commission under the presidency of former Italian Prime Minister Romano Prodi. Thereafter, he was responsible for Competition policy, in which capacity he initiated anti-monopoly proceedings against Microsoft. He also led the investigation into the proposed merger between General Electric and Honeywell in 2001, which the European Commission blocked.

The second Berlusconi government did not confirm his appointment for a third time in 2004, instead proposing Rocco Buttiglione in his place. Since Buttiglione was rejected by the European Parliament, the government proposed Franco Frattini.

In 2007, Monti was one of the first supporters of the first European civic forum, Etats Généraux de l'Europe, initiated by European think tank EuropaNova and European Movement. He was also a member of the Commission Attali from 2007 to 2008,[6][10] appointed by Nicolas Sarkozy to provide recommendations to enhance economic growth in France.

In December 2009, he became a member of the future of Europe, chaired by former Spanish Prime Minister Felipe Gonzalez. In this forum, he advocated an economic government for Europe and a European Monetary fund. He also supported a New European Deal with a better coordination between social and economic issues in Europe.

In 2010, Monti was asked by Commission President Manuel Barroso to produce a "Report on the Future of the Single Market" proposing further measures towards the completion of the EU Single Market.[11]

Monti is a founding member of the Spinelli Group,[12] an organization launched in September 2010 to facilitate integration within the European Union (other members of the steering group include Jacques Delors, Daniel Cohn-Bendit, Guy Verhofstadt, Andrew Duff and Elmar Brok).

Prime Minister

On 9 November 2011, Monti was appointed a Lifetime Senator by Italian President Giorgio Napolitano.[13] Mario Monti was seen as a favourite to replace Silvio Berlusconi to lead a new unity government in Italy in order to implement reforms and austerity measures.[14] On 12 November 2011, following Berlusconi's resignation, Napolitano invited Monti to form a new government.[15] Monti accepted the offer, and held talks with the leaders of Italy's political parties, saying that he wanted to form a government that would remain in office until the next scheduled elections in 2013.[16] On 16 November 2011, Monti unveiled a technocratic cabinet, and was officially sworn in as Prime Minister of Italy.[17] He also appointed himself as Minister of Economy and Finance.[18][19]

Advisory roles

Monti actively participates in several major think tanks. He is a member of the Presiderium of the Friends of Europe. He was the founding chairman of Bruegel, another European think tank, which was formed in 2005. He is also the European Chairman of the Trilateral Commission, a think tank founded in 1973 by David Rockefeller.[20]

Monti is a leading member of the exclusive Bilderberg Group.[21] He has also been an international advisor to Goldman Sachs[22] and The Coca-Cola Company.[23]

Personal life

Monti is married, and has two children.[24]

Known for his reserved character, Monti acknowledges not being especially sociable; he says his youth was given over to hard study, alongside spare time activities such as cycling and keeping up with world affairs by tuning in to foreign short wave radio stations.[25]

Awards and decorations

Knight Grand Cross of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic – awarded on 29 November 2004[26]
Commander of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic – awarded on 27 December 1992[27]

See also

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References

  1. ^ Il "côté cattolico del nuovo premier". Lettera 43. 13 November 2011.
  2. ^ "Mario Monti nominato senatore a vita — La mossa del Colle, il via libera del premier". La Repubblica (in Italian). 9 November 2011. Retrieved 14 November 2011.
  3. ^ "Monti d'Italia e d'Argentina - Il Grande Sud" (in Italian). Il Sole 24 Ore. 17 November 2011. Retrieved 30 December 2011.
  4. ^ "Mario Monti, el sucesor de Berlusconi, es hijo de un argentino" (in Spanish). La Nación. 14 November 2011. Retrieved 30 December 2011.
  5. ^ Camanzini, Enrico. "Mario Monti, dalla città giardino al Palazzo Madama: I ricordi delle gite sui monti delle Prealpi" (in Italian). Il Giorno. 12 November 2011. Retrieved 17 November 2011.
  6. ^ a b Public hearing: Strengthening economic governance in the EU (Brussels, 13 January 2011) — Curriculum vitae of speakers. Retrieved 12 November 2011.
  7. ^ Clift, Jeremy (2005). "Super Mario and the Temple of Learning". Finance and Development. International Monetary Fund. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |month= ignored (help)
  8. ^ Staff (undated). "Past SUERF Presidents and Vice Presidents". SUERF. Retrieved 14 November 2011. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  9. ^ Smith-Spark, Laura (13 November 2011). "Who is Italy's 'Super Mario' Monti?". CNN. Retrieved 15 November 2011.
  10. ^ fr:Commission Attali
  11. ^ Report on the future of the Single Market, 2010
  12. ^ MEP Spinelli Group launched today in European Parliament | Press Release Services - EurActiv.com
  13. ^ "Napolitano nomina Monti senatore a vita". Corriere della Sera. 9 November 2011. Retrieved 9 November 2011.
  14. ^ Vagnoni, Giselda; Hornby, Catherine (10 November 2011). "Mario Monti Emerges as Favorite To Lead Italy". Reuters. Retrieved 10 November 2011.
  15. ^ "Incarico a Monti: "Occorre crescita ed equità"". la Repubblica. 12 November 2011. Retrieved 12 November 2011. {{cite news}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |1= (help)
  16. ^ Donadio, Rachel; Povoledo, Elisabetta (16 November 2011). "Facing Crisis, Technocrats Take Charge in Italy". The New York Times. Retrieved 16 November 2011.
  17. ^ "Monti Unveils Technocratic Cabinet for Italy" (16 November 2011). BBC News. Retrieved 17 November 2011.
  18. ^ Squires, Nick (16 November 2011). "Mario Monti Appoints Himself Economy Minister as He Unveils Italy Government". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 16 November 2011.
  19. ^ "Monti Unveils Technocratic Cabinet for Italy". BBC News. 16 November 2011. Retrieved 17 November 2011.
  20. ^ "www.trilateral.org". Trilateral Commission. Retrieved 12 November 2011.
  21. ^ "Steering Committee". Bilderberg Meetings. Retrieved 12 November 2011.
  22. ^ Foley, Stephen (18 November 2011). "What Price the New Democracy? Goldman Sachs Conquers Europe". The Independent. Retrieved 18 November 2011.
  23. ^ European Commission– Economic and Financial Affairs. Brussels Economic Forum 2009, speakers: "Mario Monti". Retrieved 19 November 2011.
  24. ^ "Mario Monti il professore riservato ma intransigente dallo humour anglosassone" (in Italian). Adnkronos. 13 November 2011. Retrieved 14 November 2011.
  25. ^ "Reserved Mario Monti Has Little in Common with Colourful Silvio Berlusconi". National Post. Agence France-Presse. 13 November 2011. Retrieved 21 November 2011.
  26. ^ "Presidential Awards". Quirinal Palace. Retrieved 19 November 2011. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |1= (help)
  27. ^ "Presidential Awards". Quirinal Palace. Retrieved 19 November 2011.
Political offices
Preceded by Italian European Commissioner
1995–2004
Served alongside: Emma Bonino, Romano Prodi 		Succeeded by
Preceded by
Raniero Vanni d'Archirafi
European Commissioner for Internal Market, Services, Customs and Taxation
1995–1999 		Succeeded by
Preceded by European Commissioner for Competition
1999–2004 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Prime Minister of Italy
2011–present 		Incumbent
Preceded by Minister of Economy and Finance
2011–present
Academic offices
Preceded by Rector of Bocconi University
1989–1994 		Succeeded by
Preceded by President of Bocconi University
1994–present 		Incumbent
Order of precedence
Preceded byas President of the Chamber of Deputies Order of Precedence of Italy
as Prime Minister 		Succeeded by
Alfonso Quaranta
as President of the Constitutional Court

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