The Italian senate approved on Thursday a package of new austerity measures to tackle one of the largest budget deficits in the eurozone.
One hundred and sixty-one senators voted in favor of the four-year package, which proposes cuts of 48 billion euros ($67 billion), while 135 abstained.
The lower house will vote on the bill on Friday.
Italy is keen to avoid having to seek an international bailout, with the new measures aimed at cutting the deficit to zero by 2014.
