German, Italian finance ministers urge growth in WSJ op-ed

(ANSA) - Rome, June 27 - The finance ministers of Germany and Italy on Friday came out together in favor of EU measures to stoke growth in order to counter anti-European extremism, denying there was any conflict between Rome and Berlin. In an op-ed in the Wall Street Journal, Wolfgang Schaeuble and Pier Carlo Padoan challenged "battle lines" drawn by some commentators between Germany and Italy.
    "On the contrary, Berlin and Rome agree on what Europe's economic agenda should be," said the piece published in the middle of a two-day EU summit in Brussels.
    "For us, it is clear that sustainable growth must be our common and essential goal. "Growth will create jobs and help governments tackle public debt. "And promoting growth is the best way to keep the extremist, anti-European parties in check. "We believe that growth can be achieved by applying in full the existing fiscal framework". The ministers went on to urge structural reforms, deeper EU integration, and boosting private and public investment.