The Italian Minister of Economy announced on Sunday a 3.6 billion euros aid project - equivalent to 0.2% of the country's GDP - for all sectors affected by the epidemic of the new Coronavirus. " By next Friday, we will adopt a legislative decree to support the economy for all the territories and sectors affected, throughout the national territory ," said Roberto Gualtieri, in an interview published Sunday in the daily La Repubblica . " It will be an envelope of additional funds of 3.6 billion euros, equivalent to 0.2% of GDP, " he added.
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This aid, which must be approved by the Italian parliament and the EU, can take various forms, including tax credits for businesses. " I have no reason to fear that Brussels could contest our request, " commented the Minister for the Economy.
Roberto Gualtieri also indicates that a possible action plan at European level will be on the agenda of the March 16 meeting of the Eurogroup, the inner circle of the 19 finance ministers of the euro zone.
Italy's public deficit for the whole of 2019 - which must be announced on Monday by the National Institute of Statistics - should be " between 1.6 and 1.7% " of gross domestic product (GDP ), said the Italian minister, describing Italian public finances as " very good ".
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The Coronavirus epidemic will, however, have an impact on the economy in the first quarter of 2020, he added.
On Friday, the government had already announced a series of immediate aid measures to support businesses and populations around the eleven small towns in northern Italy quarantined due to the presence of foci of the Italian epidemic viral pneumonia.