Mario Draghi

Mario Draghi is an Italian economist who has served as President of the European Central Bank and Prime Minister of Italy. In 2024, at the request of the European Commission, he published The future of European competitiveness, a detailed blueprint for reversing Europe's economic decline.

Draghi served as President of the European Central Bank from 2011 to 2019, leading the institution during the euro area sovereign debt crisis. His famous 2012 pledge to do 'whatever it takes' to preserve the euro was decisive in stabilising the currency and bringing the crisis to an end.

He later served as Prime Minister of Italy from 2021 to 2022, heading a national unity government and launching Italy’s recovery plan funded by the EU’s €750 billion NextGenerationEU programme, including reforms of public administration, competition policy, and the justice system.

In 2024, the European Commission asked Draghi to prepare a report on Europe’s competitiveness. In The future of European competitiveness, Draghi diagnoses a widening productivity gap between Europe and its main rivals, and sets out more than 170 proposals spanning energy policy, industrial strategy, defence, digital infrastructure, and capital markets reform. Since its publication, the report has become the main reference in EU competitiveness debates, and Draghi has since championed its adoption across Europe.

Draghi has also served as Governor of the Bank of Italy, Chairman of the Financial Stability Board, and Vice Chairman at Goldman Sachs International.