Italian PM says govt remains opposed to austerity measures

ROME: Italy's coalition leaders agree on the need to avoid being rapped on the knuckles by the European Union over public finances but the government remains opposed to any belt-tightening measures, Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte said.

Conte met with League leaders Matteo Salvini and 5-Star head Luigi Di Maio late on Monday, after threatening to resign if his two deputy prime ministers failed to end weeks of bickering and agree on a strategy to avoid disciplinary steps from the European Commission due to Rome's excessive debt.

"There is full agreement that the disciplinary procedure must be avoided," Conte told reporters after attending a business conference.

But "we're not at all ready to revise the government's 'philosophy', so no austerity or recessive measures," he added.