There are several restricted areas in the country, tourism is affected. Now the government in Rome wants to help the country's economy, which has been hit by the effects of the coronavirus crisis.
Rome (AP) - The Italian government is planning an aid package for the economy additionally impacted by the coronavirus outbreak in the amount of EUR 3.6 billion. Minister of Economics Roberto Gualtieri said this amount in an interview with "La Repubblica" on Sunday.
Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte addressed Rome's wish in the newspaper "Il Fatto Quotidiano" that the heavily indebted country wanted to increase the deficit ratio for the state budget. That was coordinated with the European Union, he was quoted in agencies.
Minister of Economic Affairs Gualtieri said the cabinet plans to adopt the measures by the end of the week: "It will be a package of additional and extraordinary resources amounting to EUR 3.6 billion, which corresponds to 0.2 percent of the gross domestic product." Parliament's approval would be obtained for this. He was optimistic that Rome could also convince the EU: "I have no reason to fear that Brussels will contest our request."
On Friday evening, Rome decided in a first step aid for around 900 million euros. They are primarily intended for the eleven restricted areas in Lombardy and Veneto. In Italy, the Sars CoV-2 wave infected more than 1,100 people and 29 died.
Gualtieri said that he was in contact with the EU and his German and French colleagues, Finance Minister Olaf Scholz and Bruno Le Maire. A conference call is scheduled for mid-week to prepare the next meeting of Euro finance ministers in Brussels on March 16.
The current crisis surrounding the outbreak of the corona virus is slowing down large parts of Italy's economy, such as tourism and the automotive industry. The economic worries were high before. In the last quarter of 2019, gross domestic product was down 0.3 percent - the largest decrease compared to the previous quarter in years.
Repubblica interview
