Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte said Thursday his government would not change the 2019 budget plan despite mounting EU pressure over increased spending.
ROME (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 22nd November, 2018) Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte said Thursday his government would not change the 2019 budget plan despite mounting EU pressure over increased spending."When it comes to the Italians, we are not ready to refuse them anything," Conte told reporters at a forum in Rome.
He denied leading a rebellion against EU auditors who gave Italy three weeks in October to amend its budget proposal. The draft was rejected against this Wednesday.
"We have a common goal with Europe. We are working to reduce the debt," the defiant prime minister said, adding "the rebellion against the EU is a figment of imagination."
Italy's debt load has reached 131 percent of its domestic output. The European Commission told Rome to cut deficit by 0.6 percent in 2019. Instead, it is set to grow by around 1 percent.
EU Economic and Financial Commissioner Pierre Moscovici warned Italy on Wednesday that its behavior warranted a debt-based excessive debt procedure, which could lead to fines.
