“The EU Commission welcomes the decree on the payment of public administration debts adopted by the Italian government last Saturday". The approval comes from Simon O'Connor, spokesman for the EU commissioner for economic and monetary affairs, Olli Rehn.
"The Commission - recalled the spokesman from Brussels - strongly supports a rapid reduction of the public debt, an intervention that can be completed while ensuring that Italy exits the excessive deficit procedure, which is an essential precondition for sustainable growth. It will not be a panacea, but it will ease the situation of the Italian economy” and for this reason it must be implemented “urgently”.
The details of the decree will be discussed in the early afternoon between Rehn and the Italian Minister of Economy, Vittorio Grilli, who arrived at the Commission building just before 13pm.
The impact of the decree on public finances “can now be factored into the spring economic forecast, which the Commission will publish in May, and consequently in the discussion on Italy's exit from the excessive deficit procedure”, concluded O'Connor.
