The ECB's policy under the presidency of Mario Draghi: a curse or a blessing for Europe?

Abstract

The paper discusses the monetary policy of the European Central Bank (ECB) under the presidency of Mario Draghi. It first shows the serious mistakes made under his predecessor, Jean-Claude Trichet, during which period the ECB destabilized rather than stabilized. Draghi, on the other hand, embarked on a more expansive course immediately after taking office, thereby securing the existence of the euro in a very threatening situation. In 2014, he then identified the deflationary risks for the eurozone at an early stage and successfully countered them with massive bond purchases. The undesirable developments for the financial system and especially the banks predicted by his critics, who are to be found primarily among German economists, have not materialized.