Premier Giuseppe Conte on
Thursday defended his government's budget plans for 2019 and
said he was not rattled by criticism of them in Europe.
"We expected critical observations," Conte said as he arrived
at the EU summit.
"But we will sit around a table and explain it because, the
more time that passes, the more convinced I am that the budget
is wonderful".
The League/5-Star Movement (M5S) government has said it will
let Italy's deficit rise to 2.4% of GDP next year in an
expensive budget aimed at boosting growth.
The European Commission has said this could lead Italy to
breach the Stability and Growth Pact and may not give the
package the thumbs up.
The leaders of other eurozone States have been expressing
concern too.
"Good bilateral meeting with Giuseppe Conte during the
European Council," Dutch Premier Mark Rutte said via Twitter
after an an encounter with his Italian counterpart.
"I expressed the Netherlands' concern about the budget plans
for 2019.
"Full support for the European Commission to apply the common
obligations of the Stability Pact".
Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz said that "excessive
debts" are "dangerous" not just for the "countries that have
accumulated them" but "also for Europe".
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED © Copyright ANSA
