EU governments back Italy's Comporti for next head of ESMA

BRUSSELS, July 23 (Reuters) - Ambassadors of European Union governments backed on Wednesday Italy's Carlo Comporti as the next head of the European Securities and Markets Authority, to succeed Verena Ross, whose term ends on October 31, the Irish EU presidency has said.

Comporti, 60, is a member of ESMA's management board. He will now have to have a hearing in the European Parliament's economic committee and win the legislature's approval, after which EU governments at ministers' level will finalise his appointment.

ESMA is an independent EU agency based in Paris that acts as the EU's financial markets watchdog. Its core mission is to protect investors and ensure that European financial markets remain stable, orderly, and transparent.

(Reporting by Jan Strupczewski; Editing by Emelia Sithole-Matarise)