Quotes from Mario Monti

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

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.

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

Like other antitrust agencies we make our assessment of a merger or antitrust case based on its impact on our jurisdiction, and not on the nationality of the companies. This is exactly what the U.S. antitrust agencies, the Justice Department and the FTC, do.

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

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

Italy needed structural reforms to become more competitive.

Europe has to avoid old prejudices and new ones. That means north versus south, rich versus poor.

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.

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.

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

I hope that my government can help change Italian mentality.

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.

If governments let themselves be fully bound by the decisions of their parliaments without protecting their own freedom to act, a breakup of Europe would be a more probable outcome than deeper integration.

I believe that in Europe, we have a collective 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.

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