Name? Mario Draghi
Westphalian identity? Italian/European
Age? 73
Why is he in the news? In February, former head of the ECB, Mario Draghi formed a technocratic government in Italy. Since then he has continuously made the headlines but never daily worthy. He travelled to Libya as his first trip abroad, he called Erdogan a dictator, and he has been using his status in Europe to increase Italy’s importance in the EU.
Why do we care? Two months ago we wrote about Draghi’s start; and since have written about the incident (Sofagate with von der Leyen) causing Draghi to call Erdogan a dictator; and we often analyse dynamics in the EU. All these are reasons to care but especially Draghi’s growing influence in the EU. He has been the main driver for the recent vaccine protectionism in the EU over the AstraZeneca vaccine, pushing von der Leyen to block exports.
Why should you care? If his influence in the EU does not make you care, his trip to Libya might. A leader’s first trip is highly symbolic and Draghi is addressing concerns of conservative voters with this by strengthening efforts to limit migration flows to Italy. Are we seeing preparations for a 2023 election run? Any way, you should care 5/10 about his actions.
Who else cares? Turkey’s President Erdogan as Draghi called him a dictator over Sofagate. Yesterday Erdogan responded by questioning Draghi’s legitimacy (remember; Draghi is not elected but heading a technocratic government supported by a large portion of the parliament, so Erdogan is not wrong but technically not right) to make these claims on behalf of the Italian people. Furthermore, Erdogan stated that Draghi had severely damaged Turkish-Italian relations which could be bad for Erdogan if Draghi’s European influence continues to grow.
Any further comments? Draghi’s importance in Europe can only rise, Macron is facing reelection, Merkel is leaving office in September. An experienced Draghi will surely fill the vacuum left behind.
