EC demands budget clarification by Wed

(ANSA) - Brussels, October 22 - Premier Giuseppe Conte said Tuesday that he was not concerned after the European Commission sent his government a letter requesting "further information about the precise composition of the structural changes and the spending developments foreseen in the budget". The Commission said this information was necessary in order to "establish whether there is a risk of a significant deviation from the adjustments requested" for 2019 and 2020.
    It said the reply should arrive on Wednesday. It added that Italy's plans "do not respect the debt-reduction target for 2020" because they envisage a deterioration of the structural deficit of 0.1% of GDP rather than the recommended adjustment of 0.6%. "We'll give the EU all the necessary clarification," Conte said.
    "We are not worried". European Economic Affairs Commissioner Pierre Moscovici said Tuesday that the fact the EU has requested clarification from Italy about its budget plans did not mean a showdown over the package was in the pipeline. "This letter is different from the one sent to the Italian government last year," Moscovici said, referring to a recent infringement-procedure near miss. "It expresses what I have already stated, which is that there is no budget crisis with Italy. "We are working in the best possible conditions with (Premier) Giuseppe Conte and (Economy Minister) Roberto Gualtieri. "The climate is relaxed and positive. "There is a risk of a significant deviation and so we are obliged to highlight it. "If we had wanted a change of budget or a change of figures or policy we would have written that"