After four months of stalemate, a turning point seems to be just around the corner. The Council of Ministers scheduled for this afternoon, Tuesday, July 14, will appoint the new president of Consob. It is Guido Stazi, current Secretary General of the Antitrust Authority and, previously, Secretary General of the Commission for the Supervision of Markets and the Stock Exchange.
The appointment will put an end to a very serious vacancy, considering that in the last month the Stock Exchange has had to face, in addition to numerous delistings, also the second phase of the banking risk triggered by Banco BPM's proposed marriage of equals to MPS and Intesa Sanpaolo's €30,6 billion bid for MPS-Mediobanca. Moreover, on Monday, Economy Minister Giancarlo Giorgetti had announced his intention to proceed this week with the assignment of the position vacated by the president. Paul Savona, whose seven-year term expired last March. “Last week I dealt with the president of ESMA (the European securities regulator) ed.) this week we will deal with Consob", said the number one in Via XX Settembre.
The internal agreement within the majority would have been reached on Sunday. Stazi's nomination would have been sponsored by Forza Italia and would have also received the green light from the League who in recent months had tried to place the undersecretary as president of Consob Federico Freni, He encountered fierce opposition from the leader of the Azzurri, Antonio Tajani, who argued that—despite Giuseppe Vegas's precedent—a politician should not lead such an important body. After a bitter internal conflict within the government, Freni decided to step down, citing his desire to avoid being a divisive force.
The final adjustments on the candidates within the majority have finally led to the shared choice of Stazi which is part of a wider game which includes the presidency of the Antitrust, which has also been vacant for two months, and the Anac guide, the anti-corruption authority. The parties may have therefore reached an agreement at the top of the main authorities, dividing up the various decisions.
Who is Guido Stazi?
Romano, born in 1957, Stazi is the current Secretary General of the Competition and Market Authority since March 8, 2022. His profile on the AGCM website recalls that he previously served as head of the Economic Evaluation Committee within the same authority. The economist also served as chief of staff of the Communications Regulatory Authority (2005-2012) and general secretary of Consob (2013-2017).
After the law degree At the University of Rome "La Sapienza," Stazi was an assistant professor of Economic Policy at the Faculty of Law at Sapienza and of Public Finance at Luiss University in Rome. He taught Economics and Competition Policy at the Faculty of Economics and Banking at the University of Siena, and was a columnist for the daily newspaper MF-Milan Finance and author of writings and volumes on antitrust, regulation, and the digital economy.
