Economics
Draghi Warns Against Breaking Rules Amid Italian Bond Selloff
- ECB chief says growth outlook positive but horizon is darker
- Brexit and escalation of trade tensions among global risks
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Mario Draghi told European Union leaders that questioning the bloc’s rules can worsen financial conditions and damage growth, according to an official familiar with his remarks, which are likely aimed at Italy’s budget dispute with the EU Commission.
The European Central Bank president’s warning, delivered at a summit in Brussels on Thursday, comes as Italy gears for a standoff with the EU’s executive arm over concerns that the country’s budget will breach the bloc’s fiscal rules. The gap between Italian and German bond yields has widened to the highest since 2013, when the region was just coming out of a sovereign debt crisis, raising questions over the sustainability of the country’s public finances.