The International Monetary Fund
on Tuesday revised upwards its 2018 growth forecast for Italy,
from 1.4% to 1.5%, following 1.5% last year.
Growth for 2019 remains confirmed at 1.1%.
Despite the hike Italy will remain last in the eurozone for
growth this year, the IMF said, with Germany up 2.5%, France
2.1% and Spain 2.8%. Greece's GDP will rise 2.0%, the IMF said.
Political uncertainty increases the risks of implementing
reforms in Brazil, Colombia, Italy and Mexico, the IMF said.
Italy and Spain must cut their high public debt, the Fund
said.
Italy's public debt will fall to 129.7% of GDP this year from
131.5% last year, the fund said.
It will drop to 127.5% in 2019 and 116.6% in 2023, the fund
said.
Italy's budget deficit will fall to 1.6% of GDP in 2018, from
1.9% in 2017, the IMF said.
It will fall to 0.9% in 2019, the fund said.
Italian unemployment will fall this year but remain above
10%, the IMF said.
Outgoing Premier Paolo Gentiloni said Tuesday that the credit
for Italy's economic recovery went to its households and
businesses.
"When things recover, when you start to get going again,
albeit with differences from sector to sector, and you see the
economy start to pull ahead, it is always primarily thanks to
families, companies and the community," Gentiloni said at the
inauguration of the Milan International Furniture Fair.
"Governments can help these dynamics, but they are not
created from high, from this measure or that other measure".
The following tables shows the IMF growth forecasts for the
eurozone.
COUNTRY 2017 2018 2019
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EUROZONE 2.3% 2.4% 2.0%
GERMANY 2.5% 2.5% 2.0%
FRANCE 1.8% 2.1% 2.0%
ITALY 1.5% 1.5% 1.1%
SPAIN 3.1% 2.8% 2.2%
NETHERLANDS 3.1% 3.2% 2.4%
BELGIUM 1.7% 1.9% 1.7%
AUSTRIA 2.9% 2.6% 1.9%
GREECE 1.4% 2.0% 1.8%
PORTUGAL 2.7% 2.4% 1.8%
IRELAND 7.8% 4.5% 4.0%
FINLAND 3.0% 2.6% 2.0%
SLOVAKIA 3.4% 4.0% 4.2%
LITHUANIA 3.8% 3.2% 3.0%
SLOVENIA 5.0% 4.0% 3.2%
LUSSEMBOURG 3.5% 4.3% 3.7%
LATVIA 4.5% 4.0% 3.5%
ESTONIA 4.9% 3.9% 3.2%
CYPRUS 3.9% 3.6% 3.0%
MALTA 6.6% 5.7% 4.6%
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