Event Summary
Giuliano Amato, former prime minister of Italy, discussed the American and European response to the current economic crisis in the context of a globalized world at an Institute event held February 13, 2009. He described the efforts of the European Union to coordinate its policy measures during this crisis and analyzed how the traditional economic superpowers can best cooperate with the emerging market economies to devise an effective global strategy.
Amato was prime minister of Italy during 1992–93 and again in 2000–2001. He was also deputy prime minister and minister for the Treasury during 1987–89, minister of foreign affairs on two occasions, and minister of the Interior during the recent Prodi government in 2006–08. The European Council appointed him as vice president of the Convention on the Future of Europe that drafted the proposed European Constitution. He played a crucial role in placing Italy on the path to becoming an original member of the euro.