Economics

Italy Seeks ECB Board Seat to Push for Infrastructure Investment

  • Lawmaker Borghi wants central bank to buy debt to boost growth
  • Italian proposal likely to be controversial for central bank

Giuseppe Conte, Italy's prime minister, speaks during a "Future of Europe" plenary session debate at the European Parliament in Strasbourg, France.

Photographer: Alex Kraus/Bloomberg
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Italy will seek a seat on the European Central Bank’s Executive Board and use it to push the institution to buy bonds to fund infrastructure projects, according to a senior lawmaker in the coalition government.

European Union leaders are preparing to start negotiations over the next suite of top policy positions including a replacement for ECB President Mario Draghi. His departure at the end of October could leave Italy without a place at the heart of the central bank for the first time in the currency bloc’s history.