Draghi to speak to EU ministers ahead of competitiveness report, source says

ROME (Reuters) – Former ECB president Mario Draghi will consult with EU finance ministers this month on how to sustain investments in digital and green transitions as he prepares a report on the bloc’s competitiveness, a source close to the matter said.

Draghi has been mandated by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen to come up with proposals to revitalise the EU’s economy in the face of competition from China and the United States.

Draghi, who has also served as Italy’s prime minister in 2021-2022, wants to tap the EU ministers on what is needed to mobilise public and private investment, the source said.

The report, which will make recommendations, is expected to be published by the end of June.

Informal talks between Draghi and the EU finance ministers will take place on Feb. 24 at the end of a planned 3-day Ecofin meeting in the Belgian city of Ghent.

He met business leaders in Milan in January.

The name of Draghi, 76, has been floated as a potential option for a top EU job after European parliamentary elections in June.

A source close to Draghi has denied he is interested in a role in European institutions, but Italian political sources said he would not withdraw if there was a consensus on his candidacy.