Mattarella asks for EU solidarity

(ANSA) - Rome, March 13 - Italy is going through a difficult situation and its experience in fighting the spread of coronavirus will probably be helpful for all countries of the European Union, President Sergio Mattarella said in a statement late on Thursday.
    Initiatives of solidarity and not moves that can hinder its actions are therefore expected, at least for the common interest, Mattarella also said.
    Earlier on Thursday, European Central Bank President Christine Lagarde said the QE program would be upped to 120 billion euros this year but did not cut interest rates and stopped short of saying the ECB would do "everything it takes", in predecessor Mario Draghi's words, to stem the virus emergency.
    Stocks dropped sharply after her intervention and the Italo-German bond spread spiked.
    Lagarde later said the ECB would "be there" to help Italy face the economic and financial fallout from the coronavirus emergency.
    She said the ECB's instruments were "available to Italy, we are working against fragmentation (of the eurozone), we will be there - there should be no doubt about that".