Conte Says Italy Will Likely Seek to Widen Budget Shortfall

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Giuseppe ContePhotographer: Andreas Solaro/AFP via Getty Images
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Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte said his government would likely seek a wider budget gap as he draws up an ambitious reform plan to lobby for European Union assistance to restart the economy.

The government will focus on infrastructure projects including high-speed railways and may approve a value-added tax cut to stem the coronavirus’s impact on the euro-zone’s third-biggest economy. Conte made his comments Sunday after eight days of closed-door talks with ministers and leaders from business, finance and labor at a Renaissance villa in Rome.