Italian Prime Minister to Discuss Way Forward on Budget Plan With EU Commission Chief

ROME (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 21st November, 2018) Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte said Wednesday he hoped to reach consensus on his country's high-spending budget plan when he meets the European Commission president this week.

The European Commission has again rejected Italy's draft budget for 2019 over extra borrowing instead of a recommended deficit reduction.

"I hope for a constructive dialogue with [Jean-Claude] Juncker on Saturday night.

We will review our stances and think of a way forward," Conte told reporters in Rome.

Italian Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini said on Twitter he expected Brussels to respect his country, which he estimated contributed 5 billion Euros ($5.7bln) more to the EU budget than it got back.

The Italian government has been told to revise its budgetary plan to conform with the EU's financial stability regulations after its debt load increased to 131 percent of domestic output.