Saturday

25th Mar 2023

Monti resigns as promised, quips about doomsday

  • Mario Monti is resigning but may return as Prime Minister (Photo: European Council)

Italian Prime Minister Mario Monti resigned as promised on Friday (21 December) after the Italian parliament adopted the 2013 budget.

"A year ago this government was beginning. Today, on the other hand, we have to end this role and the Mayan prophecy is not to blame," he joked earlier in the day, referring to a widely popularised prediction that the world would end on 21 December 2012.

Read and decide

Join EUobserver today

Become an expert on Europe

Get instant access to all articles — and 20 years of archives. 14-day free trial.

... or subscribe as a group

Once the parliament passed the budget, he filed his resignation to Italian President Giorgio Napolitano, paving the way for early elections in February.

He had announced he would do so earlier this month after his predecessor, Silvio Berlusconi, withdrew his party's support for the government and said he would stand for elections again, prompting market fears that Italy might need a bailout.

Centre-right EU leaders - including German Chancellor Angela Merkel - in the European People's Party, last week gave a strong show of support for Monti.

They said at a congress in Brussels that he "restor[ed] confidence in Italy" and they made it clear to Berlusconi he is not welcome in their fold.

Berlusconi resigned last year amid market pressure and exasperation from EU colleagues over broken promises on reforms. The media mogul's departure was also associated with accusations of fraud and with sexual scandals.

Monti - a highly respected technocrat - took over pushed through labour market changes and budget cuts which reduced down Italy's borrowing costs.

Berlusconi at the EPP congress said he might not run after all, but only if Monti ran on behalf of his ailing party.

Monti - who was never linked to any party - replied only that he might come back as PM if there is no other solution.

Berlusconi then made another u-turn, agreeing with centre-left critics who say it would be "morally questionable" if Monti ran in the vote.

According to the latest polls, the centre-left Democratic Party is poised to win by 35 percent, while a centrist coalition led by Monti would only take around 15 percent. Berlusconi's People of Freedom party is tipped to score 17 percent.

EU leaders back Monti against Berlusconi

Germany's Merkel and other centre-right leaders have indicated they would like to see Mario Monti to keep on running Italy instead of Silvio Berlusconi.

Italy to run balanced budget, minister says

The Italian economy will run a balanced budget in 2013 before returning to growth the following year, the country's outgoing finance minister has said.

Opinion

Turkey's election — the Erdoğan vs Kılıçdaroğlu showdown

Turkey goes to the polls in May for both a new parliament and new president, after incumbent Recep Tayyip Erdoğan decided against a post-earthquake postponement. The parliamentary outcome is easy to predict — the presidential one less so.

Latest News

  1. EU's new critical raw materials act could be a recipe for conflict
  2. Okay, alright, AI might be useful after all
  3. Von der Leyen pledges to help return Ukrainian children
  4. EU leaders agree 1m artillery shells for Ukraine
  5. Polish abortion rights activist vows to appeal case
  6. How German business interests have shaped EU climate agenda
  7. The EU-Turkey migration deal is dead on arrival at this summit
  8. Sweden worried by EU visa-free deal with Venezuela

Stakeholders' Highlights

  1. Nordic Council of MinistersNordic and Baltic ways to prevent gender-based violence
  2. Nordic Council of MinistersCSW67: Economic gender equality now! Nordic ways to close the pension gap
  3. Nordic Council of MinistersCSW67: Pushing back the push-back - Nordic solutions to online gender-based violence
  4. Nordic Council of MinistersCSW67: The Nordics are ready to push for gender equality
  5. Promote UkraineInvitation to the National Demonstration in solidarity with Ukraine on 25.02.2023
  6. Azerbaijan Embassy9th Southern Gas Corridor Advisory Council Ministerial Meeting and 1st Green Energy Advisory Council Ministerial Meeting

Join EUobserver

Support quality EU news

Join us