'Hard' to reach 6% GDP rise in 2021 - UPB

(ANSA) - ROME, JAN 19 - It will be "hard" to reach the government's projected 6% rise in GDP this year, the parliamentary budget office (UPB) said Tuesday.
    The UPB said this was due to "elevated uncertainty" stemming from the COVID epidemic.
    Leading analyst are instead seeing a GDP rise this year of between 3.5% and 4.8%, the office said.
    This will be the case even in the event of a rapid recovery starting this spring, it said.
    The government's new 32 billion euro budget adjustment will bring the budget deficit down up to just below 9% this year, compared to the 7% in the government's economic NADEF updated blueprint, "all other things being equal", the UPB said.
    These measures will be temporary, the office said, the reason why the government sees the deficit falling to 4.7% in 2022 and 3% in 2023. (ANSA).