28/09/2005 (Agence Europe) - On Tuesday Silvio Berlusconi informed the Italian parliament that he had done everything in his power to obtain the resignation of the Governor of the Bank of Italy, Antonio Fasio. The prime minister declared that “the government cannot intervene directly and I have therefore done the only thing in my power: I have appealed to the governor's good sense and conscience” (EUROPE 9034). The same evening, the new Italian minister of finance, Giulio Tremonti affirmed, “it is time to close this debate, the government has done all it can”. The European Central Bank will soon be submitting an opinion on the draft reform on the Banca Italia, which will introduce a limited mandate (7 years) for its Governor. The president of the ECB, Jean-Claude Trichet, recently informed the European Parliament of the importance of ensuring the independence of central bankers (EUROPE 9027).