Tag: Luigi Di Maio

• Wednesday, November 14th 2018 - 08:50 UTC

  Italy ignores EC deadline and keeps to its high spending budget

  

  The Italian government has defied the European Commission by sticking to its big-spending budget plan. Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini said a deficit target of 2.4% and a growth forecast of 1.5% were unchanged.

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• Wednesday, October 17th 2018 - 08:52 UTC

  Another headache for the EU: Italy and its populist budget

  

  Italy's government on Tuesday pushed the country closer to a showdown with the European Union after submitting its latest budget for review. The budget proposes increases both Italy's overall government debt and its deficit in the short run pushing the deficit as high as 2.4% of GDP over the coming years. This means Italy will fall foul of a previously mandated maximum deficit level of 0.8% of GDP.

• Friday, June 1st 2018 - 07:09 UTC

  Different flavors, but Italian pizza: coalition government takes office this Friday

  

  A coalition government has been agreed in Italy, ending months of uncertainty in the EU's fourth-biggest economy. Prime Minister-designate Giuseppe Conte presented his list of ministers to President Sergio Mattarella for the second time in a week and the new government will be sworn in this Friday, June first.

• Wednesday, May 30th 2018 - 09:18 UTC

  Italian lawmakers demand EU budget commissioner be forced out of office

  

  Senior Italian politicians on Tuesday called for EU budget commissioner Gunther Oettinger to resign over an “absurd” comment in which he voiced the hope that the country's poor economic situation will keep populist parties out of government.

• Monday, May 28th 2018 - 07:01 UTC

  “Institutional crisis” in Italy: the Euro at the heart of the powers dispute

  

  The leader of Italy's biggest political party has called for the president to be impeached after he vetoed a choice for finance minister. Luigi Di Maio of the populist Five Star Party said President Sergio Mattarella had caused an “institutional crisis”.

• Tuesday, May 22nd 2018 - 07:12 UTC

  Populist Euro-skeptic coalition agreed in Italy; panic in Brussels

  

  Law professor Giuseppe Conte has been named as the choice of the Five Star Movement and League to lead the Italian coalition government. The leaders of the two parties have been holding talks with President Sergio Mattarella over the approval of their coalition government.

• Saturday, May 19th 2018 - 09:18 UTC

  Italy readies for a populist euro skeptic coalition; challenge for Brussels and the Euro

  

  Italy’s two anti-establishment parties promised on Friday to ramp up spending in a program for a new coalition government, putting them on a collision course with the European Union despite having dropped some of their most radical proposals.

• Saturday, May 12th 2018 - 08:33 UTC

  Sunday surprise: populist/hard right government in the making in Italy

  

  Italian anti-establishment and far-right leaders met on Friday to hash out a deal over a joint government that could be announced as soon as Sunday. Matteo Salvini, leader of the nationalist League, told reporters after meeting head of Five Star Movement (M5S) Luigi Di Maio at the lower house Chamber of Deputies that their aim was to reach an agreement “as soon as possible.”

• Tuesday, May 8th 2018 - 08:38 UTC

  Italy: president proposes neutral government followed by fresh elections in 2019

  

  President Sergio Mattarella on Monday suggested the formation of a 'neutral' government to rule until the end of this year after a third round of consultations failed to produce to way out of Italy's post-election political deadlock.

• Tuesday, March 6th 2018 - 09:54 UTC

  Forget Berlusconi: Italy has become a major setback for the European Union

  

  Italy's general election on Sunday has so far resulted in a hung parliament, with the country's Euro skeptic Five Star Movement emerging as the single party with the most votes. The centre-right coalition headed by former Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi is expected to gain between 248 and 268 seats and a 37% vote share, which is still short of a majority. Some 316 seats are needed to form a government.