# Mario Draghi

Mario Draghi (Italian pronunciation: [ˈmaːrjo ˈdraːɡi]; born 3 September 1947) is an Italian banker and economist who succeeded Jean-Claude Trichet as the President of the European Central Bank on 1 November 2011. He was previously the governor of the Bank of Italy from January 2006 until October 2011. He played a major role in Italy's response to the Great Recession and the European Union's response to the European debt crisis. In 2013 Forbes nominated Draghi 9th most powerful person in the world. He was later appointed Prime Minister of Italy in charge of a government of national unity during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2021, but resigned in 2022 after a vote of confidence failed to pass by an absolute majority.

## Quotes

* Within our mandate, the ECB is ready to do whatever it takes to preserve the euro. And believe me, it will be enough. (26 July 2016, speech to Global Investment Conference in London)
** quartz
* In Greece, the position at the outset was particularly difficult, so now we have to be particularly patient with the country. That's no surprise.
** spiegel.de.
* It is too early to assess the policies of the new German government. I can only say that the crisis has shown that the monetary union is incomplete and that the weaknesses need to be remedied. Germany helps the euro best by further strengthening its competitiveness and promoting growth.
** spiegel.de.
* One needs a complex package of policies and, as we always stress, structural reforms come first, because many of the problems of the euro area are structural. And I'm sure that's also the biggest fear for the Governing Council as a whole. We discussed the possibility of negative deposit rates, but our objective is maintaining price stability.
** indiainfoline.com.
* The crisis has not been overcome, but there are many encouraging signs. The economy is recovering in many countries, the imbalances in European trade are declining and the budget deficits in the monetary union are falling.
** spiegel.de.
* The signals from the monetary analysis confirm the picture of subdued underlying price pressures in the euro area over the medium term.
** indiainfoline.com.
* ... "the Continent's traditional social contract" - perhaps its major contribution to contemporary civilization - "is obsolete" and must be dismantled.
** truth-out.org, Kommentar in spiegel.de/international
* (Italian language) L'appello a non vaccinarsi è un appello a morire sostanzialmente - non ti vaccini, ti ammali, muori - oppure fai morire - non ti vaccini, ti ammali, contagi lui lei muore -, questo è.
** The appeal not to get vaccinated is a call to die substantially - you do not take vaccine, you get sick, you die - or you make die - you do not take vaccine, you get sick, you infect, he/she dies - this it is.
** www.governo.it/it/articolo/conferenza-stampa-draghi-cartabia-speranza/17515
** July 22, 2021 - As Prime Minister of Italy, regarding the "vaccines" against Sars-Cov-2 / Covid-19

## Quotes about

* ECB [European Central Bank] President Mario Draghi’s famous promise to do ‘whatever it takes’ to preserve the eurozone was a masterly move to buy time. But monetary policy cannot solve the currency union’s problems.
** Robert Rubin, "The Search for a Monetary-Policy Wizard and Political Moral Hazard", Wall Street Journal (February 23, 2015)
* Our friendship goes back many decades, to when we shared a common plane. Over the years, over the decades, I have had enormous respect for Mr. Draghi. He has had an extraordinary capacity for intellectual analysis of issues that focused on the common good and not just the immediate. [He is the] symbol of a generational challenge. [He has carried out] extraordinarily complicated tasks because it was believed, and it turned out to be correct, that he would analyze the problems and not approach them from a biased position. [He is] a man with a unique ability to analyze situations and contribute to their solution.
** La nostra amicizia risale a molti decenni fa, quando abbiamo condiviso un aereo comune. In questi anni, in questi decenni, ho avuto un enorme rispetto per il signor Draghi. Ha avuto una straordinaria capacità di analisi intellettuale di questioni che si concentravano sul bene comune e non solo sull'immediato. [Egli è il] simbolo di una sfida generazionale. [Ha svolto] compiti straordinariamente complicati perché si riteneva, e si è rivelato corretto, che avrebbe analizzato i problemi e che non li avrebbe affrontati da una posizione di parte. [Egli è] un uomo con una capacità unica di analizzare le situazioni e di contribuire alla loro soluzione.
*** Henry Kissinger. As quoted in L'amicizia di Kissinger con Mario Draghi e l'incontro con Meloni, in Il Foglio (November 30, 2023; re-translated from Italian)