*  *  *  I have many reasons to be grateful and honoured by your decision to award me the Premio De Gasperi today. His character and his experience provide us with an inspiring message, loud and confident: “In Europe we go forward together in freedom”. This message is rooted in the 20th century history of our continent.
In my opinion, and this is confirmed by the EU Court of Justice, asset purchases are a legitimate albeit non-standard monetary tool, provided that the ECB complies with the limits and restrictions as set out in the Treaty.