The European Commission has positively welcomed the decision of the Italian Government to "accelerate the reform agenda with specific deadlines, proceeding rapidly with privatizations and with the rationalization of public spending, also addressing the issue of arrears that the State owes to companies". This was stated by Simon O'Connor, spokesman for the European Commissioner for Economic Affairs Olli Rehn, in relation to the Economics and finance document presented yesterday by the Executive in Rome.
Brussels also sees "favorably" the interventions announced on civil justice, research, education and the improvement of business conditions. Now it is important to "ensure the full implementation" of these measures, concluded O'Connor, recalling that in the past the Rome Executive has encountered difficulties in putting its decisions into practice.
The European Commission will also "carefully" evaluate the compatibility of the Renzi government's plans with European obligations, because, according to EU rules, “Italy must balance the budget in structural terms, to put its very high public debt on a declining path,” concluded the spokesman.
Precisely this point risks being a reason for friction between our country and Brussels. Yesterday the Minister of the Treasury, Pier Carlo Padoan, announced that "Italy's structural deficit will be zeroed in 2016", which means a further one-year postponement, since Italy had committed to achieving budget by 2015.
