Assess consequences if growth deteriorates - Moscovici

(ANSA) - Davos, January 24 - European Economic Affairs Commissioner Pierre Moscovici said Thursday that the impact on Italy's public finances will need to be assessed if the country's growth is not as high as was previously forecast this year. The European Commission forecast in the autumn that Italy's GDP would increase by 1.2% in 2019, double the level of 0.6% recently given in revised-down forecasts by the Bank of Italy and the IMF. The lower growth prospects have led to speculation that Rome may have to pass a corrective budget, although government figures have ruled this out. Moscovici told Mediaset television that, while he could not say what the EC's new growth forecast for Italy would be, "usually our estimates are not very different to those of the other international institutions".
    "We'll have to evaluate the consequences in the case of a deterioration," he added.