Italy must take more steps on reforms - Gentiloni

(ANSA) - ROME, MAR 1 - European Economic Affairs Commissioner Paolo Gentiloni told an ANSA Forum on Monday that Italy was doing a good job with its COVID-19 Recovery Plan while stressing more work was need on its proposed reforms.
    He said that the National Plan for Resilience and Recovery (PNRR) Italy has prepared to access over 200 billion euros in grants and low-interest loans from the Next Generation EU programme is good with regards to "the major strategic objectives".
    "But there are still steps forward to be made, not just in terms of specifying the investments and the time frames to achieve the objectives, but, above all, in terms of reforms," the former Italian premier added. He said these reforms regarded "competition, the time frames of civil justice, the effectiveness of the civil service and tax evasion".
    Gentiloni said that no country was behind in the preparation of their respective recovery plans and said he hoped a 13% quota of 'pre-financing' could be allocated to at least some of the EU States before the summer. (ANSA).