Jean-Claude Trichet, president of the European Central Bank (ECB), made his final scheduled speech as head of that body with a call for the formation of a eurozone-wide finance ministry. Members of the audience who had come to protest the debt crisis booed and waved placards.
Bloomberg reported that Trichet (left), who steps down from his position on October 31, used the speech Monday night as a platform to advocate for the ministry, saying that the case for such an entity has "strengthened" so that economic governance within the 17-nation currency bloc can be improved.
Protesters interrupted Trichet's speech, as a woman shouting caused him to pause, and students in the audience also held up banners saying "no more money for the banks" and "say 'No' to debt tyranny." When asked by another woman in the audience if he "could live on a wage of 470 euros [$655] a month," Trichet replied that the "main issue" before policymakers is to make sure "that we are as close as possible to giving a job to all our people, including our young unskilled people."
