Italy's Tria says would have preferred Lagarde at EU Commission

ROME (Reuters) - Italian Economy Minister Giovanni Tria said on Thursday he thought Christine Lagarde would have been more suited to a role at the European Commission rather than as head of the European Central Bank.

"Lagarde is a worthy person. Personally I would have preferred to see her at the EU Commission but she went to the ECB", Tria told a panel in the Senate.

European Union leaders agreed on Tuesday to name France's Lagarde to replace Italian Mario Draghi as ECB president at the end of October, while choosing German Defence Minister Ursula von der Leyen as the new Commission president.

(Reporting by Francesca Piscioneri; writing by Angelo Amante)