(ANSA) - Rome, November 9 - Italy would have to pass a
"suicidal" budget bill to avert an EU infringement procedure,
Economy Minister Giovanni Tria said Friday.
Tria said EU rules would require "an extremely violent
restriction", something he said he did not think the EU wants.
"In order to avert this debt procedure we would have to make
an extremely violent budget of fiscal restriction, go to a
deficit of 0.8%, which for an economy in strong slowdown would
be suicide, I don't think the (European) Commission expects a
reaction of this type even though it would be formally
respectful of the budget rules"," Tria said after talks in Rome
with Eurogroup chief Mario Centeno.
A "positive result" in budget talks between Italy and Europe
is "in everyone's interest", Centeno said after the talks with
Tria.
Centeno also said there were "no doubts" about Italy's place
in the euro and the 2019 budget should demonstrate that.
Tria reiterated that EU doubts on the budget were not founded
on "the real content of the budget".
'Suicidal' budget to avert procedure
Rules require v.violent restriction, don't think EU wants that