PARIS: Italian Economy minister Giovanni Tria said on Tuesday the European Commission's forecasts for Italy reflected the government's own outlook, but do not take into account the pick-up posted by Italy in the first quarter.
Speaking on the sidelines of a conference in Paris, Tria added that the EU's 2020, deficit forecast for Italy "is more political than economic" because it does not consider government commitments to lower the deficit in its 2020, budget.
Brussels said on Tuesday in its quarterly economic forecasts that Italy's huge debt is expected to grow further this year and next as the country's growth remains sluggish.
The Commission forecast the economy would grow by just 0.1 percent this year instead of the 0.2 percent it predicted in February. The country grew by 0.9 percent last year.
With no changes in government policies, Italy's deficit is also set to grow to 2.5 percent of output this year and to climb to 3.5 percent in 2020, beyond the 3.0 percent ceiling set by EU fiscal rules, the Commission warned.
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