The ECB is engaging in a new form of monetary policy by directly buying government bonds from Italy and Spain. The goal is to lower interest rates on bonds from these countries to reassure investors and reduce upward pressure on Eurozone rates. This quantitative easing should bring down borrowing costs for governments and the private sector, encouraging more spending and moving the economy closer to full employment. While this could increase inflation in some cases, Europe currently has excess capacity so growth is unlikely to cause inflation. The ECB's actions aim to prevent crowding out of private spending from large deficits and keep rates low until private sector confidence and spending recover fully.