Economy Minister Giovanni Tria said
Tuesday that the government will seek to reach a compromise with
the European Commission to avert the threat of the opening of an
infringement procedure.
The European Commission said last week that an infringement
procedure would be justified for Italy's failure to comply with
the debt rule, while stressing that the proceedings have not
been opened yet and it is open to talks.
"The government's attitude will be constructive," Tria told
the Lower House.
"We will reiterate our reasoning to the other European
countries and we'll try to find a reasonable point to meet at.
"We'll have to be willing to undertake constructive dialogue
that will enable us to reach an agreement to avert the
procedure.
"While we're still convinced that the EU rules need to be
improved and simplified, it is in our interest to find a
compromise".
Tria added that the government was "ready for initiatives ot
balance the books" and that he was "certainly" supported by the
whole government.
Deputy Premiers Matteo Salvini and Luigi Di Maio, the
respective leaders of the League and the 5-Star Movement (M5S),
the two government coalition partners, however seem less
inclined to bow to pressure from Brussels.
On Tuesday Tria also spoke about the need to "normalize" the
Italian bond spread, which has recently risen amid the tension
linked to Italy's public finances.
He said this was necessary to have sustained economic growth.
Premier Giuseppe Conte said Tuesday that his government was
committed to bringing down Italy's public debt but would not
pass measures that could spark a recession.
"I am absolutely confident about the capacity for dialogue of
our government and of the European Commission," Conte said at
the assembly of the Assonime association of joint-stock
companies in Rome.
"An infringement procedure would be extremely damaging both
for our country's growth prospects and for those of the whole
eurozone.
"The government is committed to agreeing a credible path of
debt reduction with our European partners, within a framework of
social sustainability, without passing depressive budgets.
"That would contradict the agenda to boost growth that was
adopted last year".
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