Italy’s finance minister in leadership fight

Feature focuses on Giulio Tremonti, the Finance Minister of Italy, who in the spring of 2011 has found himself at the centre of a political battle that could determine the future of Italy’s ruling centre-right coalition in a post-Berlusconi era.

Would Mr Tremonti succeed Silvio Berlusconi?

One of the more abrasive figures in the Italian cabinet, Mr Tremonti is a darling of Brussels and financial markets for rigorously cutting Italy’s budget deficit to a level below that of France. But fellow ministers fret that his austerity policies will cost them at the polls.

ESO: Background information: OECD urges Italy to enact reform http://www.europeansources.info/record/oecd-urges-italy-to-enact-reform/

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