Quotes By Mario Monti

If the euro becomes a factor promoting Europe's drifting apart, then the foundation of the European project is destroyed.

So I think democracy, in the long-term, in our countries will survive if it comes to be associated with leadership, will not survive if democracy plus media brings to us more and more followship rather than leadership.

I have the most profound respect for the Department of Justice and the FTC. We in Europe are a younger and I would say junior institution to the historical antitrust experience of the US.

The more the UK feels distanced from European construction the less others are able to benefit from the full influence of the many good things that the UK can help us all to achieve, and therefore there are many areas where I think it would be beneficial to have the UK fully at the table.

As to the question of elected or not elected, each member of the European Commission has been appointed jointly by the governments of the 15 member states, and undergone individual scrutiny and a vote of confidence from the European Parliament.

Italy even in the future will not need aid from the European Financial Stability Fund.

Much of what Germany and France have done in the rescue of Greece has also helped German and French banks, who for a long time were major creditors for Greece and Greek banks.

I hope that my government can help change Italian mentality.

Italy has piled up huge public debt because the successive governments were too close to the life of ordinary citizens, too willing to please the requests of everybody, thereby acting against the interests of future generations.

Reference to the territory and total disregard for the nationality of the companies is of course the best guarantee that competition assessment remain just that and doesn't get affected by trade or other considerations.

I know that speaking with parties, which I do, but not very often, is seen by many as a 'contamination.'

It is very unusual for a country to ask guys who are not politicians to come and run the country.

I am certain that most Germans have instinctive liking for Italy, just as Italians admire Germans for their many qualities.

I believe that in Europe, we have a collective leadership.

There was in Italy a hidden demand for a boring government which would try to tell the truth in non-political jargon.

A lot of the American press at the time was saying 'just watch what happens when Bertelsmann tries to buy EMI, that will be a moment of truth that will show the Commission's true colors.' Well, that deal never happened either.

What will growth policy have to look like in a fiscally compacted Europe? Clearly any illusion of budget stimulated growth policy will have to go away.

Growth in any individual European country has to be the result of policies for growth pursued in that country consistent with budgetary discipline.

The Italian economy has been held back for decades.

The two greatest priorities for my government are tackling tax evasion and corruption.

This is certainly not the first case in which a merger approved in one place hasn't gone through in the other. There was a case last year where the merger between two EU companies was approved here and blocked in the U.S.

That statement was not addressed to the authors of political statements. I said that I deplore attempts to misinform the public and to /trigger/ political intervention. And there were such attempts.

All I am saying is I will be a senator - should there be any special circumstance where the political forces would believe that there might be a need for my service, I would consider it.

It is rather unusual for Italy to be at the forefront of pro-market initiatives.

I have always been considered to be the most German among Italian economists, which I always received as a compliment, but was rarely meant to be one.

The absence of political personalities in the government will help rather than hinder a solid base of support for the government in parliament and in the political parties because it will remove one ground for disagreement.

Not all Greeks are ready to do whatever is necessary to stay in the euro.

Italy needed structural reforms to become more competitive.

If Spain goes under, Italy will come under even more scrutiny.

I don't believe we're seeing the beginning of a divergence. We have seen a partial divergence on this case.