The European Union concerned about the resignation of Mario Draghi

Former Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi at the summit of government leaders in Brussels, June 24, 2022. AFP - JOHN THYS

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Since the announcement of the collapse of the Italian coalition, speculation has been rife on the next President of the Council and on the presence or not in the next government of Fratelli d'Italia.

The Europeans, themselves, already regret the departure of Mario Draghi, like Emmanuel Macron who evokes in him "a trusted partner", a feeling shared in the capitals of the Twenty-Seven and especially in the institutions of the EU .

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With our correspondent in Brussels

,

Pierre Benazet

The European institutions usually carefully avoid commenting on internal political upheavals in the capitals, but the European Commissioner for the Economy Paolo Gentiloni did not hesitate to castigate the "

irresponsible

" attitude

of the parties which let go of Mario Draghi

, an attitude which, according to him, risks causing a “

storm

”.

Exceptional remarks which are up to the concern aroused by the departure of the one whom the Europeans have nicknamed Super Mario.

They counted on seeing him put at the service of the Italian economy the same dexterity that he had demonstrated at the helm of the European Central Bank in the face of the pitfalls of the financial crisis.

200 billion euros conditioned by a series of reforms

It is above all the scale of

the post-covid recovery plan

that motivates this European reaction.

Of 750 billion euros for the EU, Italy is eligible for 200 billion, more than a quarter of the total.

And if at least two-thirds of the reforms planned under the recovery plan are not adopted by the end of the year, Italy risks losing its rights to part of the promised funds.

However, the markets, like the EU institutions, only trusted Mario Draghi to deal with Italy's huge public debt.

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To read also: Resignation of Mario Draghi: "There is a fear of a domino effect in Europe"

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  • Italy

  • Mario Draghi

  • European Union