Brussels (Reuters)-EU leaders have formally appointed Mario Draghi of Italy to be the next President of the European Central Bank, draft Summit conclusions EU showed on Friday.
The decision clears the way for Dragons, 63, to take over from Jean-Claude Trichet when French steps at the end of October, after eight years in the job.
"The European Council appointed Mr Mario Draghi, Chairman of the European Central Bank from November 1, 2011 to October 31, 2019," showed a draft conclusions obtained by Reuters.
In a press conference late Thursday, Herman Van Rompuy, President of the European Council, said that the Dragons had not been discussed during the first day of a two-day summit but that his appointment was on the agenda of talks Friday.
In recent weeks, French officials had expressed concern about the appointment of Dragons, worried for Italy to finish with two members of the Executive Board of the ECB. Lorenzo Bini Smaghi is already on the six-member Panel that sets interest rates, with 17 other euro zone Central Bank Governors.
French officials had suggested that Bini Smaghi should replace Dragons as head of the Italian Central Bank, paving the way for a French person be appointed to the Board of Directors.
In April, Italian premier Silvio Berlusconi promised French President Nicolas Sarkozy that Italy would yield place to Bini Smaghi on Board of the ECB to a French candidate, in exchange for France's support for the President of Dragons.
The problem was that Berlusconi did not first consult Bini Smaghi, whose eight-year mandate ends in may 2013 BCE. Bini Smaghi has refused to leave, creating a situation of discomfort for Berlusconi that remains unresolved.
Officials said the wait time was that Italy would solve the situation with Bini Smaghi when Dragons takes over in November, although it is not clear how.
While Dragons, a highly respected economist and banker, won widespread support for his candidacy in recent months, there were doubts early in the process his nationality and occupation with Goldman Sachs (GS.N) might obstruct its path work best Europe's central banks.
In appearances before the European Parliament's Finance Committee, the Dragons made it clear that his role at Goldman Sachs, between 2002 and 2005 did not involve the sale of financial instruments but was largely a consultative position.
He also stressed his experience in the financial stability Oversight Board of Europe and emphasised the common thinking that he shares with Trichet on monetary policy and the risks to the financial system of a failure to address Greece's debt crisis.
Tidak ada komentar:
Posting Komentar