Mario Monti

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Mario Monti.

Mario Monti, nicknamed Super Mario (born March 19, 1943) is an Italian economist and politician.

[edit] Biography

Mario Monti was born in Varese, Lombardia. He is married with two children. He holds a degree in economics and management from Bocconi University, Milan. He completed graduate studies at Yale University, Connecticut, where he studied under James Tobin, the Nobel prize-winning economist.^[1]

In 1994 he was appointed to the European Commission, along with fellow-Italian, Emma Bonino, by the first Berlusconi government. In his capacity as European Commissioner from 1995, he was responsible for "Internal Market, Financial Services and Financial Integration, Customs, and Taxation".

Four years later, in 1999, Massimo D'Alema's government confirmed his appointment to the new European Commission under the presidency of Romano Prodi. Thereafter he was responsible for "Competition", in which capacity he initiated anti-monopoly proceedings against Microsoft. He also led the investigation into the proposed merger between General Electric and Honeywell in 2001, which the European Commission blocked.

The second Berlusconi government did not confirm him in 2004, and proposed Rocco Buttiglione in his place. Since Rocco Buttiglione was rejected by the European Parliament, the government proposed Franco Frattini.

Mario Monti is the President of the Bocconi University of Milan and the first chairman of Bruegel, a European think tank founded in 2005.