The International Monetary Fund
on Thursday cut its forecast for expansion in the Italian
economy this year by half, to just 0.3%.
But next year, the economy should grow by 1.1%, the agency
added in its latest world economic outlook that updates previous
forecasts issued in April.
Italy is struggling to emerge from its worst recession
since the Second World War.
Meanwhile, the IMF held steady its prediction for the
eurozone's expansion at 1.1% this year, rising to 1.5% in 2015.
The agency also warned that the recovery across the
18-member currency area remained uneven across countries and
generally weak, hampered by high unemployment.
It also trimmed its forecast for worldwide growth to 3.4%
in 2014.
In April, the IMF said that the global growth rate this
year should reach 3.7%, rising to 4% in 2015.
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