Italy's Tria keeps door open to Weidmann's ECB bid

DAVOS, Switzerland (Reuters) - Italy's economy minister kept the door open on Wednesday to the potential appointment of Bundesbank President Jens Weidmann as next head of the European Central Bank, saying past stances should not weigh on the decision.

Giovanni Tria said it was too early to discuss who will succeed Mario Draghi in November. But he did not seem to share the aversion to Weidmann - a policy hawk who has criticised successive Italian governments - expressed by a prominent member of Italy's governing coalition.

"There's no point in focussing on past stances because the world evolves and players' ideas evolve with it," Tria told Reuters when asked about Weidmann's candidacy on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.

 

In 2012, Weidmann was the only ECB policymaker to oppose offering help to euro zone countries in financial distress through conditional bond purchases.

The mere announcement of the scheme, which is still unused, quashed speculation of a euro break-up and eased market pressure on debt-laden countries such as Italy.

He has also been critical of the ECB's 2.6 trillion euro ($2.96 trillion) bond-buying stimulus programme, credited with pulling the euro zone from the brink of deflation in 2015.

More recently, Weidman expressed scepticism about Tria's own budget plans after appearing to lecture the Italian minister's predecessor on the need for budget consolidation.

Claudio Borghi, a top official from Italy's ruling League party, said in July Weidmann's appointment as next ECB president could lead Europe to disintegrate.

While Italy does not have an outright veto, traditionally the biggest countries have agreed on a candidate, so its opposition would be a big hurdle.

France's central bank head, Francois Villeroy De Galhau, ECB board member Benoit Coeure and former Finnish governor Erkki Liikanen are also tipped as possible replacements for Draghi. A decision is only expected after May's European elections.

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(Reporting By Silvia Aloisi; Writing by Francesco Canepa; Editing by Andrew Cawthorne)