There was a phone call between Angela Merkel and Silvio Berlusconi. The German chancellor has contacted the Italian prime minister to urge our government to approve the budget package for the consolidation of public finances as soon as possible. Meanwhile, tension on debt risks in the peripheral countries of the euro area continues to increase. “Italy itself must send an important signal – underlined Merkel – which is the adoption of a budget that responds to the need for savings and consolidation”.
The German Finance Minister, Wolfgang Shauble, instead used much more reassuring tones: "There are no doubts that Italy will take the right decisions" as regards the budget and public accounts. Furthermore, our country will not be the next to face a sovereign debt crisis: "Italy is in the midst of a budgetary decision that is not easy - said Shauble - but the proposal presented by the economy minister is very convincing. The path is the right one”.
