EU's Tusk congratulates Italy's Conte, calls for unity, solidarity

BRUSSELS: European Council President Donald Tusk on Friday congratulated newly appointed Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte, while saying the European Union needed "unity and solidarity more than ever".

Italy's president Sergio Mattarella swore in Giuseppe Conte on Friday as prime minister of Western Europe's first anti-establishment government whose aim is to cut taxes, boost welfare spending and overhaul European Union rules on budgets and immigration.

"Your appointment comes at a crucial time for Italy and the entire European Union," Tusk said in the letter. "To overcome our common challenges, we need unity and solidarity more than ever," he added.