- Mario Monti
-
Mario Monti 
Prime Minister of Italy Incumbent Assumed office
16 November 2011President Giorgio Napolitano Preceded by Silvio Berlusconi Minister of Economy and Finance Incumbent Assumed office
16 November 2011Preceded by Giulio Tremonti European Commissioner for Competition In office
15 September 1999 – 30 October 2004President Romano Prodi Preceded by Karel Van Miert Succeeded by Neelie Kroes European Commissioner for Internal Market, Services, Customs and Taxation In office
18 January 1995 – 15 September 1999President Jacques Santer
Manuel Marín (Acting)Preceded by Raniero Vanni d'Archirafi Succeeded by Frits Bolkestein Senator for Life of Italian Senate Incumbent Assumed office
9 November 2011President Giorgio Napolitano Personal details Born 19 March 1943
Varese, ItalyPolitical party Independent Children 2 Alma mater Bocconi University
Yale UniversityReligion Roman Catholic[1] Mario Monti (Italian pronunciation: [ˈmaːrjo ˈmonti]; born 19 March 1943) is an Italian economist and academic who has been Prime Minister of Italy, as well as Minister of Economy and Finance, since November 2011.[2] 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. He has also been Rector and President of Bocconi University. He was appointed a Senator for Life in the Italian Senate on 9 November 2011, and soon after was invited by President Giorgio Napolitano to lead a new technocratic government in Italy following the resignation of Silvio Berlusconi.[3]
Contents
Education and academic career
Mario Monti was born in Varese on 19 March 1943.[4] His father hailed from Varese (though he spent much of his life in Argentina after emigrating during World War II), and his mother was born in Piacenza.[5][6] Mario Monti holds a degree in economics and management from Bocconi University, Milan. He completed graduate studies at Yale University,[7] where he studied under James Tobin, the Nobel prize-winning economist.[8]
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.[9] His research has helped to create the 'Klein-Monti model', aimed at describing the behaviour of banks operating under monopoly circumstances.
Monti is a member of the Presiderium of the Friends of Europe, a leading European think tank, and was the first chairman of Bruegel, a European think tank founded in 2005. He is the European Chairman of the Trilateral Commission, a think tank founded in 1973 by David Rockefeller.[10] He is also a leading member of the exclusive Bilderberg Group of economists.[11]
Monti has been an international adviser to Goldman Sachs[12] and The Coca-Cola Company.[13]
Institutional activity
In 1994 Monti was appointed to the European Commission, along with compatriot Emma Bonino, by the first Silvio Berlusconi government. In his capacity as 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.[14]
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 Rocco 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.
In December 2009, he became a member of the future of Europe, chaired by former Spanish Premier 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.[15]
Monti is a founding member of the Spinelli Group,[16] 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.[17] 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.[18] On 12 November 2011, following Berlusconi's resignation, Napolitano invited Monti to form a new government.[19] 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.[20] On 16 November 2011, Monti unveiled a technocratic cabinet, and was officially sworn in as Prime Minister of Italy. He also appointed himself as Minister of Economy and Finance.[21][22]
Personal life
Mario Monti is married, and has two children.[23]
Monti is interested in Ancient Egypt, a passion acquired during his time at Turin University, and he is a patron of the renowned Museo Egizio in Turin.[24] The reserved professor described himself as being not very sociable and that in his youth he just studied hard, leaving little time for activities such as cycling and listening to foreign news on the radio.[25] He is also a football fan, and supports AC Milan.
Awards and decorations
Knight Grand Cross of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic[26] 
Commander of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic[27] See also
References
- ^ Il côté cattolico del nuovo premier. Lettera 43. 13 Nov 2011.
- ^ "Monti unveils technocratic cabinet for Italy" (16 November 2011) BBC News Online. Retrieved 17 November 2011.
- ^ "Italy Prez names Mario Monti senator for life". Ibnlive.in.com. 10 May 2011. http://ibnlive.in.com/news/italy-prez-names-mario-monti-senator-for-life/200863-2.html. Retrieved 12 November 2011.
- ^ "Mario Monti nominato senatore a vita — La mossa del Colle, il via libera del premier" (in Italian). La Repubblica. 9 November 2011. http://www.repubblica.it/politica/2011/11/09/news/mario_monti_nominato_senatore_a_vita_la_mossa_del_colle_nei_giorni_della_crisi-24745975/. Retrieved 14 November 2011.
- ^ Camanzini, Enrico (12 November 2011). "Mario Monti, dalla città giardino al Palazzo Madama: I ricordi delle gite sui monti delle Prealpi" (in Italian). Il Giorno. Retrieved 17 November 2011.
- ^ La Nación, 14 November 2011
- ^ Public hearing: Strengthening economic governance in the EU (Brussels, 13 January 2011) — Curriculum vitae of speakers. Retrieved 12 November 2011.
- ^ Jeremy Clift (June 2005). "Super Mario and the Temple of Learning". Finance and Development. International Monetary Fund. http://www.imf.org/external/pubs/ft/fandd/2005/06/people.htm.
- ^ "Past SUERF Presidents and Vice Presidents". http://www.suerf.org/index.php?option=com_k2&view=item&id=39&Itemid=6. Retrieved 14 November 2011.
- ^ "www.trilateral.org". www.trilateral.org. http://www.trilateral.org/. Retrieved 12 November 2011.
- ^ "Steering Committee". Bilderberg Meetings. http://bilderbergmeetings.org/governance.html. Retrieved 12 November 2011.
- ^ Foley, Stephen (18 November 2011). "What price the new democracy? Goldman Sachs conquers Europe". The Independent (London). http://www.independent.co.uk/news/business/analysis-and-features/what-price-the-new-democracy-goldman-sachs-conquers-europe-6264091.html. Retrieved 18 November 2011.
- ^ European Commission – Economic and Financial Affairs. Brussels Economic Forum 2009, speakers: Mario Monti. Retrieved 19 November 2011.
- ^ Laura Smith-Spark (13 November 2011). "Who is Italy's 'Super Mario' Monti?". CNN.com. http://www.cnn.com/2011/11/11/world/europe/italy-mario-monti-profile/index.html. Retrieved 15 November 2011.
- ^ Report on the future of the Single Market, 2010
- ^ MEP Spinelli Group launched today in European Parliament | Press Release Services - EurActiv.com
- ^ "Napolitano nomina Monti senatore a vita". Corriere della Sera. 9 November 2011. http://www.corriere.it/politica/11_novembre_09/mario-monti-senatore-a-vita_87ba0e7c-0aff-11e1-8371-eb51678ca784.shtml. Retrieved 9 November 2011.
- ^ Vagnoni, Giselda; Hornby, Catherine (10 November 2011). "Mario Monti emerges as favorite to lead Italy". Reuters (Rome). http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/11/10/us-italy-idUSTRE7A72NG20111110. Retrieved 10 November 2011.
- ^ "Incarico a Monti: "Occorre crescita ed equità"". La Repubblica. 12 November 2011. http://www.repubblica.it/politica/2011/11/13/news/monti_napolitano_dopo_incarico-24963634/?ref=HREA-1. Retrieved 12 November 2011.
- ^ "Facing Crisis, Technocrats Take Charge in Italy". New York Times. 16 November 2011. http://www.nytimes.com/2011/11/17/world/europe/monti-forms-new-italian-government.html. Retrieved 16 November 2011.
- ^ "Mario Monti appoints himself economy minister as he unveils Italy government". Daily Telegraph. 16 November 2011. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/financialcrisis/8894014/Mario-Monti-appoints-himself-economy-minister-as-he-unveils-Italy-government.html. Retrieved 16 November 2011.
- ^ "Monti unveils technocratic cabinet for Italy". BBC. 16 November 2011. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-15751179. Retrieved 17 November 2011.
- ^ "Mario Monti il professore riservato ma intransigente dallo humour anglosassone" (in Italian). Adnkronos. 13 November 2011. http://www.adnkronos.com/mobile/Politica/news/Mario-Monti-il-professore-riservato-ma-intransigente-dallo-humour-anglosassone_3.1.2642191336.php. Retrieved 14 November 2011.
- ^ "Friends of Museo Egizio". http://www.museoegizio.it/pages/Collaborative_Friends.jsp.
- ^ Agence France-Presse. "Error: no
|title=specified when using {{Cite web}}". Nationalpost.com. http://news.nationalpost.com/2011/11/13/reserved-mario-monti-has-little-in-common-with-silvio-berlusconi/. Retrieved 21 November 2011. - ^ "Presidential Awards". Quirinal Palace. http://www.quirinale.it/elementi/DettaglioOnorificenze.aspx?decorato=144247. Retrieved 19 November 2011.
- ^ "Presidential Awards". Quirinal Palace. http://www.quirinale.it/elementi/DettaglioOnorificenze.aspx?decorato=195207. Retrieved 19 November 2011.
External links
- Super Mario and the Temple of Learning, interview in "Finance and Development", quarterly magazine of the International Monetary Fund, June 2005.
- Bruegel think tank
- Profile at Politics.co.uk
- Articles at Guardian UK
Political offices Preceded by
Antonio RubertiItalian European Commissioner
1995–2004
Served alongside: Emma Bonino, Romano ProdiSucceeded by
Franco FrattiniPreceded by
Raniero Vanni d'ArchirafiEuropean Commissioner for Internal Market, Services, Customs and Taxation
1995–1999Succeeded by
Frits BolkesteinPreceded by
Karel Van MiertEuropean Commissioner for Competition
1999–2004Succeeded by
Neelie KroesPreceded by
Silvio BerlusconiPrime Minister of Italy
2011–presentIncumbent Preceded by
Giulio TremontiMinister of Economy and Finance
2011–presentOrder of precedence Preceded by
Gianfranco Fini
as President of the Chamber of DeputiesOrder of Precedence of Italy
as Prime MinisterSucceeded by
Alfonso Quaranta
as President of the Constitutional CourtMonti Cabinet (2011 – present) 
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