Parliamentary question - E-007006/2011Parliamentary question
E-007006/2011

Appointment of Mario Draghi as President of the European Central Bank

Question for written answer E-007006/2011
to the Commission
Rule 117
Willy Meyer (GUE/NGL)

On 23 June 2011, Parliament approved the appointment of Mario Draghi as the new President of the European Central Bank (ECB) by 499 votes to 72, with 89 abstentions.

Following Council approval of the appointment, the President of the European Parliament, Jerzy Buzek, said that he was ‘very pleased’ as ‘in these tough economic times, it is reassuring to know that the eurozone will be in safe hands’.

Between January 2002 and January 2006, Mario Draghi served as European vice-chair of Goldman Sachs, the world's fourth largest investment bank. The bank is one of the main bodies responsible for the current financial crisis. During Mario Draghi's tenure, the bank also took an active role in hiding the Greek Government's accountancy fiddles, by allegedly helping to falsify accounts, conceal part of the country's debt and cover up its public deficit.

Mario Draghi's appointment as ECB President is therefore a direct attack on the independence from the markets and financial institutions which the Bank must enjoy. His appointment could lead to cases of influence peddling and conflicts of interest, phenomena which could unfortunately be facilitated by the privileged relationship with the European Union enjoyed by large multinationals and financial institutions.

Thousands of messages have been sent to MEPs by EU citizens to express outrage at Mario Draghi's appointment, calling for him, as well as others in positions of authority at the financial institutions which caused the crisis, to be brought to justice.

Does the Commission have information on Mario Draghi's involvement, whilst he was Goldman Sachs' European vice-chair, in the dealings between the bank and the Greek Government over the concealment of accountancy fiddles?

Given that Mario Draghi held a high-ranking position with responsibility for European operations in one of the main financial institutions that caused the current crisis, does the Commission share the view of the President of the European Parliament that the eurozone ‘is in safe hands’?

OJ C 146 E, 24/05/2012