Govt united, Tria in sync - govt

(ANSA) - Rome, December 7 - Sources at Premier Giuseppe Conte's office expressed support of Economy Minister Giovanni Tria on Friday following reports he was considering stepping down.
    "Minister Tria is doing his job with seriousness and commitment, in harmony with the work of the executive," the sources said.
    "All the rest is fanciful, groundless reconstructions of events.
    "In this delicate period of dialogue with the EU over the budget, the government is moving forward united". Tria himself dismissed the speculation too. "My resignation is a hypothesis that does not exist," Tria said on the fringes of an OECD conference in Venice.
    Deputy Premier and Labour and Industry Minister Luigi Di Maio also rejected talk of Tria resigning or being forced out, amid tension within the ruling alliance as the government seeks to keep its policy pledges while averting the threat of an EU infringement procedure over its budget.
    "I categorically deny any rumours that Minister Tria wants to resign," 5-Star Movement (M5S) leader Di Maio told Radio 24.
    "Giovanni Tria is doing as great job and you don't change a winning team. He must stay at the economy ministry". There has been media speculation that some M5S members want Tria to step down. Di Maio said that he was confident the government will be able to prevent the EU opening infringement proceedings. The 5-Star Movement leader said Premier Giuseppe Conte was doing "an excellent job of mediation" with the European Commission, which says the plan, featuring a deficit of 2.4% of GDP next year, breaks its budget rules. He added that the government would still deliver its main pledges, including a 'citizenship wage' basic income for job seekers and a pension overhaul to effectively bring down the retirement age by allowing people to claim a State pension when their age plus number of years of contributions add up to 100 - the so-called quota 100. "I think we'll bring home a budget with the quota 100, the citizenship wage and the citizenship (minimum) pension, aid for entrepreneurs and avoid the infringement procedure," Di Maio told Radio 24.