Brussels, 14/11/2011 (Agence Europe) - Growth, reforms (pensions, employment market, property tax), liberalisations (particularly at regional level), budgetary cuts and reducing state spending will be the main measures to be tackled by Mario Monti - the former European commissioner for the internal market and for competition and the current vice chancellor of Bocconi University - who was tasked on Sunday 13 November with forming a government of national unity in Italy, to implement the commitments taken by his predecessor regarding the EU and the ECB. The aim is to present the new government on Friday for a vote of confidence of both Chambers.
Monti''s appointment was welcomed by the presidents of the European Commission and the European Council, Barroso and Van Rompuy respectively, who are convinced that this constitutes an “encouraging signal (…) of the determination of the Italian authorities to overcome the current crisis”. However, the new prime minister will have his work cut out to convince the markets, whose attacks against Italy resumed on Monday afternoon, following a short period of calm and slight improvement following Monti's appointment. He will face great resistance from the inside of his country against measures which will pinch. The Lega Nord, which is opposed to any reform of pensions, has already announced that it would not take part in the vote of confidence at the investiture of the new government and that it would assess the new measures on a case-by-case basis.
Consultations begun by Monti as early as Sunday are already giving a few indications: a government of 12 ministers and 20 secretaries of state made up mainly of “technical experts” with a consensus among the main political parties. The names mentioned most often for the key ministerial posts are those of Giuliano Amato (Interior or Foreign Affairs), Giampiero Massolo (Foreign Affairs if Amato goes to the Interior), Guido Tabellini (Finance). (FG/transl.fl)