Mario Draghi, the country’s prime minister, pointed to the fact that Italy’s economic growth was expected to hit roughly 6% in 2021, following a drop of almost 9% in 2020. “Employment has also begun to grow again: in the third quarter of this year, there were 500,000 more people in work, and 308,000 less unemployed people compared with the same period in 2020,” he said.
A former head of the European Central Bank, Draghi became Italy’s prime minister in February 2021, and has guided the country through the latter part of the pandemic with a steadfastness and competent manner that has been appreciated both at home and abroad. Draghi is now being touted as a potential replacement for Sergio Mattarella, Italy’s outgoing president, though many in Italy would prefer to see him stay in his current more day-to-day role.