Monti can refer to:

Places

• Monti, Lazio, the first rione (historic district) of Rome, Italy
• Monti, Sardinia, in the province of Olbia-Tempio, Italy
• Monti, Iowa, a tiny town of six to eight houses in Buchanan County, Iowa, United States

People

• Francesco Riccardo Monti, an Italian sculptor who lived in the Philippines
• Gaetano Matteo Monti, an Italian sculptor
• Giovanni Battista Monti, an Italian painter
• Jared C. Monti, American soldier
• Luis Monti, an Argentine-Italian footballer
• Mario Monti, Prime Minister of Italy
• Vincenzo Monti, an Italian Neoclassicist poet and scholar
• Vittorio Monti, an Italian composer

See also[link]

• Monticello (disambiguation)
• Tremonti (disambiguation)
• Monty (disambiguation)
• Monte (disambiguation)

This disambiguation page lists articles associated with the same title. If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change the link to point directly to the intended article.

Mario Monti
Prime Minister of Italy
Incumbent
Assumed office 16 November 2011
President	Giorgio Napolitano
Preceded by	Silvio Berlusconi
Minister of Economy and Finance
Incumbent
Assumed office 16 November 2011
Preceded by	Giulio Tremonti
Senator for Life of the Italian Senate
Incumbent
Assumed office 9 November 2011
President	Giorgio Napolitano
European Commissioner for Competition
In office 15 September 1999 – 30 October 2004
President	Romano Prodi
Preceded by	Karel Van Miert
Succeeded by	Neelie Kroes
European Commissioner for Internal Market, Services, Customs and Taxation
In office 18 January 1995 – 15 September 1999
President	Jacques Santer Manuel Marín (Acting)
Preceded by	Raniero Vanni d'Archirafi
Succeeded by	Frits Bolkestein
Personal details
Born	(1943-03-19) 19 March 1943 (age 69) Varese, Italy
Political party	Independent
Spouse(s)	Elsa Antonioli
Children	Federica Monti Giovanni Monti
Residence	Palazzo Chigi
Alma mater	Bocconi University Yale University
Religion	Roman Catholic[1]
Signature

Mario Monti (Italian pronunciation: [ˈmaːrjo ˈmonti]; born 19 March 1943) is an Italian economist and academic who has been the 54th Prime Minister of Italy, as well as Minister of Economy and Finance, since November 2011.

Monti served as a European Commissioner from 1995 to 2004, with responsibility for the Internal Market, Services, Customs and Taxation from 1995 to 1999 and for Competition from 1999 to 2004. Monti has also been Rector and President of Bocconi University in Milan.

On 12 November 2011, in the midst of the European sovereign debt crisis, Monti was invited by President Giorgio Napolitano to form a new technocratic government (in Italian, governo tecnico) following the resignation of Silvio Berlusconi. Monti was sworn in as Prime Minister on 16 November 2011, just a week after having been appointed a Senator for Life.

Early life[link]

Monti was born in Varese on 19 March 1943.^[2] His mother was from Piacenza. Although his father grew up in Varese, he was born in Luján in the Buenos Aires Province, Argentina, where the Monti family had emigrated in the 19th century and built up a soft-drink and beer-production business.^[3][4] Monti's father went back to Argentina during World War II, but later returned to his family home in Varese.^[5]

Monti studied at the Leo XIII private catholic high school, and attended Bocconi University of Milan, where he obtained a degree in economics in 1965. Later he won a scholarship to Yale University,^[6] where he studied under James Tobin, a recipient of the Nobel Prize in Economics.^[7]

Academic career[link]

Monti began his academic career at the University of Trento; he then taught economics at the University of Turin from 1970 to 1985, before moving to Bocconi University, where he was appointed rector from 1989 to 1994, and of which he is president since 1994. He also served as president of the SUERF (The European Money and Finance Forum) from 1982 to 1985.^[8] His research helped to create the Klein-Monti model, aimed at describing the behaviour of banks operating under monopoly circumstances.^[9]

European Commissioner[link]

Mario Monti served as a European Commissioner from 1994 to 2004.

Santer Commission[link]

In 1994, Monti was appointed to the Santer Commission, along with Emma Bonino, by the first Silvio Berlusconi cabinet. In his office as a European Commissioner from 1994 to 1999, he was responsible for Internal Market, Financial Services and Financial Integration, Customs, and Taxation. His work with the commission has earned him the nickname "Super Mario" from his colleagues and from the press.^[10]

Prodi Commission[link]

In 1999, Prime Minister Massimo D'Alema confirmed his appointment to the new Prodi Commission and he was given one of the most powerful positions at the Commission, Competition Commissioner.^[11]

As Competition Commissioner Monti led the investigation into a number of high profile and controversial mergers, including: Scania AB & Volvo (1999),^[12] WorldCom & Sprint (2000),^[13] General Electric & Honeywell (2001), Schneider Electric & Legrand (2001)^[14] and Carnival Corporation & P&O Ferries (2002).^[15] His term in office also saw the European Court of Justice, for the first time, overrule the Commission's decision to block a merger in three separate cases, although two were decided by his predecessor.^[16] Monti was also responsible for levying the EU's largest ever fine at the time (€497 million) against Microsoft for abusing its dominant market position in 2004.^[17]

Monti was criticised in the media and by competition lawyers for the perceived inflexibility of the merger oversight process and the high number of cases that were being blocked.^[12][18][19] On 1 November 2002, Monti responding to the European Court of Justice's ruling which reversed his decision to block the merger between Airtours & First Choice Holidays said, "Last week was a tough week for the Commission's merger control policy - and of course for me."^[16][19] This ruling in combination with his decision to block the General Electric & Honeywell merger led to criticism in the United States against both the Commission's procedures and accusations that Monti's decisions were politically motivated.^[20] Monti, however, was defended by supporters who saw his actions as an important step in the development of competition law in the EU. Dan Rubinfeld, economics professor at the University of California who worked on the US Justice Department's antitrust case against Microsoft, said of Monti, "There has been a lot of talk of politics in this and other cases, but I believe he has been driven entirely by the desire to do the right thing."^[16]

On 11 December 2002, Monti proposed a series of reforms to the EU's merger rules and made structural changes within the Commission's Competition department which aimed to improve transparency for companies throughout the merger review process.^[21] The reforms were adopted by the EU as Regulation 139/2004 (known as ECMR).

In 2004, Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi returned to power in Italy and did not re-appoint Monti to the Barroso Commission.^[22]

Barroso Commission[link]

In 2010, Monti, then no longer a European Commissioner, was asked by Commission President Manuel Barroso to draft a "Report on the Future of the Single Market" proposing further measures towards the completion of the EU's Single Market.^[23][24] The published report, adopted by the EU on 13 April 2011, proposed 12 reforms to the Single Market and was intended to "give new momentum" to the European economy.^[25]

Prime Minister[link]

Appointment[link]

Monti's cabinet swearing ceremony at the presence of President Giorgio Napolitano.

On 9 November 2011, Monti was appointed a Lifetime Senator by Italian President Giorgio Napolitano.^[26] He was seen as a favourite to replace Silvio Berlusconi to lead a new unity government in Italy in order to implement reforms and austerity measures.^[27] On 12 November 2011, following Berlusconi's resignation, Napolitano invited Monti to form a new government.^[28] Monti accepted the offer, and held talks with the leaders of the main Italian political parties, declaring that he wanted to form a government that would remain in office until the next scheduled general elections in 2013.^[29] On 16 November 2011, Monti was officially sworn in as Prime Minister of Italy, after unveiling a technocratic cabinet composed entirely of unelected professionals.^[30] He also chose to hold the post of Minister of Economy and Finance.^[31][32] On 17 and 18 November 2011, the Italian Senate and Italian Chamber of Deputies both passed motions of confidence supporting Monti's government, with only Lega Nord voting against.^[33][34]

Austerity measures[link]

Monti during his swearing.

On 4 December 2011, Monti's government introduced emergency austerity measures intended to stem the worsening economic conditions in Italy and restore market confidence, especially after rising Italian government bond yields began to threaten Italy's financial stability.^[35] The austerity package called for increased taxes, pension reform and measures to fight tax evasion. Monti also announced that he would be giving up his own salary as part of the reforms.^[36] On 16 December 2011, the Lower House of the Italian Parliament adopted the measures by a vote of 495 to 88.^[37] Six days later the Upper House gave final approval to the package by a vote of 257 to 41.^[38]

Labour market reforms[link]

On 20 January 2012, Monti's government formally adopted a package of reforms targeting Italy's labour market. The reforms are intended to open certain professions (such as taxi drivers, pharmacists, doctors, lawyers and notaries) to more competition by reforming their licensing systems and abolishing minimum tariffs for their services.^[39][40] Article 18 of Italy's labour code, which requires companies that employ 15 or more workers to re-hire (rather than compensate) any employee found to have been fired without just cause,^[41][42] would also be reformed. The reforms to Article 18 are intended to make it easier for companies to dismiss or lay-off employees, which would hopefully encourage companies to hire more employees on permanent rather than short-term renewable contracts.^[42] The proposals have been met by strong opposition from labour unions and public protests.^[43] In early January 2012, consultations between the government and labour unions commenced^[44] and on 13 February it was reported in the Italian media that a compromise on the proposals was very close and the government was hopeful that reforms could be approved by the Italian parliament in March.^{[45][dated info]}

Think tanks[link]

Monti actively participates in several major think tanks. He is a member of the Praesidium of Friends of Europe. He was the founding chairman of Bruegel, another European think tank, which was formed in 2005. He is also the European Chairman of the Trilateral Commission, a think tank founded in 1973 by David Rockefeller.^[46]

Monti is a leading member of the exclusive Bilderberg Group.^[47] He has also been an international advisor to Goldman Sachs^[48] and The Coca-Cola Company.^[49] He has also been a member of the "Senior European Advisory Council" of Moody's^[50] and he is one of the members of the "Business and Economics Advisors Group" of the Atlantic Council.^[51]

In 2007, Mario Monti was one of the first supporters of the first European civic forum, États Généraux de l'Europe, initiated by European think tank EuropaNova and European Movement. He was also a member of the French government's Attali Commission from 2007 to 2008,^[6][52] appointed by Nicolas Sarkozy to provide recommendations to enhance economic growth in France.

Monti is a founding member of the Spinelli Group,^[53] an organization launched in September 2010 to facilitate integration within the European Union (other members of the steering group include Jacques Delors, Daniel Cohn-Bendit, Guy Verhofstadt, Andrew Duff and Elmar Brok).

Personal life[link]

Monti is married to his wife Elsa^[54] and has two children.^[55]

Known for his reserved character, Monti acknowledges not being especially sociable.^[56] He has said that his youth was given over to hard study; spare-time activities included cycling and keeping up with world affairs by tuning in to foreign short-wave radio stations.^[56]

Awards and decorations[link]

	Knight Grand Cross of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic – awarded on 29 November 2004[57]
	Commander of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic – awarded on 27 December 1992[58]

See also[link]

	Biography portal
	Italy portal
	Politics portal

• List of Prime Ministers of Italy
• Monti Cabinet

References[link]

External links[link]

• Super Mario and the Temple of Learning, interview in "Finance and Development", quarterly magazine of the International Monetary Fund, June 2005.
• Profile at Politics.co.uk
• Articles at The Guardian

v t e Monti Cabinet (2011 – present) Monti Terzi di Sant'Agata Cancellieri Di Paola Severino Profumo Balduzzi Fornero Clini Ornaghi Catania Passera

v t e European Commissioners for Competition von der Groeben • Sassen • Borschette • Vouel • Andriessen • Sutherland • Brittan • Van Miert • Monti • Kroes • Almunia

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v t e Great Offices of the Italian Republic President Giorgio Napolitano President of the Senate Renato Schifani President of the Chamber of Deputies Gianfranco Fini Prime Minister Mario Monti

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Daniel Estulin (left) meeting Fidel Castro on 3 January 2012

Daniel Estulin (born in Vilnius, Lithuania) is an author, public speaker, whose main interest is the Bilderberg Group,^[1] an annual invitation-only conference of the elites in the fields of business, finance, media, military and politics. He is known for his extensive works on this group having written a book called "The True Story of the Bilderberg Group" as well as for his live seminars throughout the world, and has been quoted as saying that the Bilderberg Group's "main objective is creating a world government ruled by an elite group of people whose main objective is to control the natural resources of the planet"^[2] .

In an interview with conspiracy theorist and radio host Alex Jones, Estulin described his background, which led him to his profession:

"I’m a Russian expatriate who was kicked out of the Soviet Union in 1980. My father was a dissident who fought for freedom of speech who was jailed, tortured by the KGB. Suffered two political deaths. When these people got tired of us they threw us out. We moved to Canada and 12 years ago I came to Spain. My grandfather was a colonel in the KGB and the counter-intelligence in the 1950s, so I am privileged somewhat to get a lot of the information from secret service which are our best sources of information. Not only the KGB people but the MI6 people, the CIA because most of the people who work for the secret service as you probably know are patriots and they love their country and they’re doing it for the good of the nation and they’re the first ones absolutely terrified of the plans of the Bilderbergers". ^[3]

Estulin wrote The True Story of the Bilderberg Group (original title: La Verdadera Historia Del Club Bilderberg),^[4][5] purportedly a report on the nature and meetings of the world’s most powerful people. According to Estulin's book, the secretive Bilderbergers have been making major political, economical and social decisions since their first gathering in 1954.

Commenting on an episode in this book, Bruce Ramsey wrote "The method here is to initiate the reader into a special group of in-the-know; of mixing facts with assertions so that the casual reader won’t tell them apart, and to draw lines between A and B, when A is the person you want to impeach and B is a known wickedness."^[6]

Estulin published a second book, Los secretos del club Bilderberg, released in September 2006, described by Fidel Castro as a "fantastic story". ^[7]

In December 2007, Estulin appeared on the Alex Jones Show, and claimed that he had "received information from sources inside the U.S. intelligence community which suggests that people from the highest levels of the U.S. government are considering an assassination attempt against Congressman Ron Paul because they are threatened by his burgeoning popularity"^[3][8] as a presidential candidate. Estulin has worked with American journalist Big Jim Tucker who has a similar interest in the activities of the Bilderberg Group.^[3]

On August 19, 2010, the Cuban state news agency Prensa Latina published the full text of a "reflection" by former President Fidel Castro which was devoted to quoting Estulin from Los secretos del club Bilderberg, on the topic of "The World Government." ^[9] The selected quotes from Estulin's book focused on material credited to Lyndon LaRouche and members of his movement.

Bibliography[link]

English Language books[link]

• The True Story of the Bilderberg Group. Walterville, OR: Trine Day. 2007. ISBN 978-0-9799886-2-2. OCLC 223910265. 

• Shadow masters : how governments and their intelligence agencies are working with drug dealers and terrorists for mutual benefit and profit. Walterville, OR: Trine Day. 2010. ISBN 978-0-9799886-1-5. OCLC 262887238. 

Spanish Language books[link]

• La verdadera historia del Club Bilderberg. Barcelona, Spain: Ediciones del Bronce. 2005. ISBN 978-84-8453-157-9. OCLC 63698227. 

• Los secretos del club Bilderberg. Barcelona, Spain: Ediciones del Bronce. 2006. ISBN 978-84-8453-168-5. OCLC 71820977. 

• Los señores de las sombras : la verdad sobre el tejido de intereses ocultos que decide el destino del mundo. Barcelona, Spain: Ediciones del Bronce. 2007. ISBN 978-84-8453-175-3. OCLC 180755167. 

• Conspiracion Octopus / Octopus Conspiracy. Barcelona, Spain: Ediciones del Bronce. 2010. ISBN 978-84-8453-157-9. OCLC 607977409. 

• Desmontando a Wikileaks. Barcelona, Spain: Planeta. 2011. ISBN 978-84-8453-193-7. 

DVD Video[link]

• Shadow government : how the global elite plan to destroy democracy and your freedom, by Grant R Jeffrey; Katherine Albrecht; Edward G Griffin; Daniel Estulin; Gary Kah; Chuck Missler; Joan Veon; Bradley S O'Leary. Publisher: United States: Cloud Ten Pictures, 2009. OCLC 466168154.

References[link]

External links[link]

• Official Site
• Daniel Estulin at the Internet Movie Database
• Estulin, Daniel. "Bilderberg 1996: A close call for thwarting a scheme to partition Canada". http://www.onlinejournal.org/Special_Reports/071905Estulin/071905estulin.html. 
• An article by Estulin on counterpunch.org, "Infiltrating Bilderberg 2005", May 27, 2005
• "Bilderberg 2007 - Towards a One World Empire?"
• A series of interviews with Estulin on Youtube

Neri Marcorè
Born	(1966-07-31) 31 July 1966 (age 45) Porto Sant'Elpidio, Italy
Occupation	Actor
Years active	1994 - present

Neri Marcorè (born 31 July 1966) is an Italian actor, imitator, TV presenter and singer. He has appeared in 22 films and television shows since 1994. He starred in the film Incantato, which was entered into the 2003 Cannes Film Festival.^[1]

Selected filmography[link]

• Incantato (dir. Pupi Avati, 2003)
• Papa Luciani: Il sorriso di Dio,(2006)
• The Tourist (2010)
• Tous les Soleils (dir. Philippe Claudel, 2011)
• Inside Italo (dir. Damian Pettigrew, 2012)

References[link]

External links[link]

• Neri Marcorè at the Internet Movie Database

This article about an Italian actor or actress is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. v t e