Wim Duisenberg - an Obituary

Wim Duisenberg, the first president of the ECB, died after drowning in his pool in France. Under his stewardship, the ECB introduced the Euro. Mr. Duisenberg and the current chairman of the ECB, Jean-Claude Trichet are the EU equivalents of Alan Greespan. However, unlike Mr. Greenspan, discretion and inscrutability were not Mr. Duisenberg's forte - two necessary conditions Central Bank Governors. He is said to have infamously quipped, "I hear, but I do not listen." He was also notorious for answering hypothetical questions about the ECB's policy towards the Euro, which have caused considerable consternation to the Euro.

Mr. Duisenberg was no light-weight. He held a Ph.d. in economics, was the Governor of the Dutch Central bank, the Dutch Finance Minister amongst other influential positions. For all his detractions, the introduction of Euro was remarkably smooth and painless.