Italy's Economy Minister Daniele Franco addresses a news conference after the G7 Summit in Koenigswinter, near Bonn, Germany May 20, 2022.
REUTERS/Benjamin Westhoff/File photo Acquire Licensing RightsROME, Aug 20 (Reuters) - Italy will put forward former economy minister Daniele Franco as its candidate for the executive board of the European Central Bank (ECB), a source close to the matter said on Sunday.
He was appointed economy minister in 2021 in Mario Draghi's unity government, helping Italy navigate the COVID-19 crisis and the turbulence caused by Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
However, in a surprise move, Economy Minister Giancarlo Giorgetti decided instead to propose his predecessor, a source close to the matter told Reuters, confirming a report in Il Sole 24 Ore newspaper.
The government had initially put Franco forward as the Italian candidate to lead the European Union's lending arm, the European Investment Bank (EIB).
Persons:
Daniele Franco, Benjamin Westhoff, Fabio Panetta, Franco, Mario Draghi's, Piero Cipollone, Giancarlo Giorgetti, Giorgia Meloni, Crispian Balmer, Giuseppe Fonte, Christina Fincher, David Holmes
Organizations:
REUTERS, Rights, European Central Bank, ECB, Bank of Italy, European Investment Bank, Reuters, Thomson
Locations:
Koenigswinter, Bonn, Germany, Italy, Ukraine, France, Rome, Italian, Franco