EU 'rigor' has caused disasters - Conte

(ANSA) - Rome, May 22 - Premier Giuseppe Conte said Wednesday that EU-imposed austerity has been disastrous. "It is necessary to urgently change the direction of the European governance that has supported policies of (budget) rigour, which has had devastating effects on the social level," Conte told the annual assembly of industrial confederation Confindustria. He said that it was necessary to revise the "methods and institutions that have characterised the last 30 years of the integration project". Conte also said he was hopeful Italy's growth for 2019 could be higher than expected.
    "We gave a prudent forecast 0.2% growth in our DEF (economic blueprint) but we are ferociously determined to beat this," he said.
    "We are confident that the measures (we are taking) will make it possible for our economy to grow".