In Italy, leaders of the coalition government sounded optimistic that they would eventually avoid disciplinary actions by the EU over its 2019 budget. Leader of the League Matteo Salvini said, after meeting with 5-Star Movement head Luigi Di Maio and Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte, “We have found an agreement on further fiscal reductions that probably will be appreciated by the EU.”
Salvini’s spokeswoman also said that there is “total agreement between Conte, Salvini and Di Maio on the numbers and contents of the proposal to send to Brussels,” regarding 2019 budget plan. And she denied there were tensions within the coalition government and rumors that Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte had threatened to quit.
Separately, Di Maio also said the talks with the commission “will allow us to avoid an infraction procedure”.
