Mario, dear President, You understood the problems we were confronted with like few others; You had the courage and the sense of urgency that the situation required; 1/2  BIS central bankers' speeches  You showed the authority, the expertise and the resolve to act decisively; You were able to think – and act – out of the box, exploring the room for manoeuvre provided by the EU Treaty and our Statute; In brief, you were always ahead of the curve.
The sustainability imperative John Maynard Keynes famously said: “The long run is a misleading guide to current affairs. In the long run we are all dead”.4 And yet societies live in the long run. Today’s choices influence tomorrow’s outcomes, just as yesterday’s decisions affect today’s situation.