04 Dec 2011, Rome, Italy — Italian Prime Minister Mario Monti speaks during a news conference on the new austerity package in Rome, December 4, 2011. Monti accelerated plans on Sunday to approve a 20 billion-euro austerity package aimed at shoring up Italy’s strained finances and stemming a crisis that threatens to overwhelm the euro zone. — Image by © Alessandra Benedetti/Alessandra Benedetti/Corbis