”If Monti were French…”: this is the title of today's editorial on the front page of the French newspaper Le Figaro, which devotes ample space to President Francois Hollande's visit to Rome yesterday by Prime Minister Mario Monti. Le Figaro describes the differences between the two leaders and talks about "two methods of facing the crisis", giving credit to the Italian for the great results achieved during these 9 months at the helm of the country.
In the editorial, the author Gaëtan de Capèle states that "in nine months of presidency of the Council, Mario Monti has forged an indisputable stature of a statesman, unanimously respected in Europe. By now, let's listen to and consult this austere university student whose political courage impresses an Angela Merkel who can hardly be suspected of excessive indulgence towards Italy”.
”Projected as an emergency at the head of a country on the brink of asphyxiation – continues de Capèle – the Professor has reshuffled the cards, breaking with decades of passivity, laxity, clientelism and match-fixing. The list of reforms launched in a few months is impressive… One after the other, the vital construction sites to restore Italy's competitiveness have been opened, then carried out with a bang, despite the hostility of powerful trade unions. In a few months, the ugly Italian duckling it has become a point of reference, an example to follow”.
"Received yesterday by Mario Monti - the transalpine newspaper then observed -, Francois Hollande doesn't see it that way, which is a real shame. Of course, it promises to reduce deficits in 2013, as France's pledge says. As? Doing the opposite of the Italians! Taxpayers, individuals and businesses, already affected during the summer, will be asked to make the most of the effort. As for the expenses and the personnel of the civil service, which suffocate the country, there is no talk of reducing them".
"At the moment, the markets are too busy with European countries in difficulty to linger on this French immobility – concludes the editorial – but the rating agencies sleep with only one eye. Watch out for the day the volcano wakes up!"
