(see related stories on unemployment)
Italy's recovery from its longest
postwar recession is turning out to be harder than expected and
the country's economy is currently enduring a phase of
"stagnation", national statistics agency Istat said Thursday.
Italy posted positive growth for the first time in over two
years in the last quarter of 2013, with a 0.1% rise in GDP, but
that increase was reversed in the first three months of this
year.
"The recovery of economic growth is more difficult than had
been forecast," Istat said in its monthly statement.
"The signals coming from households and companies seem to
depict a phase of substantial stagnation in economic activity,
although there are some positive signals on employment".
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED © Copyright ANSA