The rules on public finance set out
under the existing European Stability Pact will not be suspended
beyond the end of 2023 but if member states reach an agreement
on new rules a transition period is possible, European
Commissioner for Economy Paolo Gentiloni said on Sunday.
"The goal that all" the EU countries "must set themselves is to
reach a political agreement on the new budget rules in the
coming weeks", said Gentiloni during Monica Maggioni's 'In
mezz'ora' programme on Rai Tre.
"If that happens, then I think that the creativity to create or
imagine a period of transition" towards the adoption of the new
rules 'is infinite in the offices in Brussels"' he stressed.
Italy has been dragging its feet on reform of the EU's Stability
and Growth Pact containing the rules of economic governance,
insisting that it needs to focus less on stability with strict
fiscal rules and more on growth.
In this respect, Rome also says that the new rules must not
prevent States from making investments of strategic importance,
including those linked to European priorities such as defense
and to the commitments set out in the national recovery and
resilience plan (NRRP) financed by the post-COVID Next
Generation EU programme.
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED © Copyright ANSA
