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Mr Letta, considered by many to be a leftist moderate, was sworn in with his cabinet on Sunday, and promised that he would get results for Italy in 18 months or otherwise "take the consequences". "Italy is dying from austerity alone. Growth policies cannot wait", Mr Letta said.
Mr Letta said the economic situation in Italy "is still serious" and its €2 trillion debt "weighs heavily" on ordinary Italians. But he also looked to Europe, saying it was suffering from "a crisis of legitimacy and ... must become once more a motor of sustainable growth" – a reference to his aim to persuade Europe to reverse its disputed austerity policy. Nevertheless he promised to stick to Italy's budget commitments to the European Union.
The 46-year-old Mr Letta, from the centre-left Democratic Party said he wants to deal quickly with the social fallout of the longest economic slump in 20 years by tackling a jobless rate of 11.6 per cent and regulating temporary job contracts.