World

Lower House of Italian Parliament Votes for 2019 Budget

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - The Italian Chamber of Deputies has approved the 2019 draft budget in a vote of confidence on Saturday night after it was rejected by Brussels and returned to Rome for changes.
Sputnik

The lower house said the revised spending bill was approved by a vote of 327 to 228.

Lega Party Calls on Italian President to Elect New Parliament
Earlier this week, European Parliament President Antonio Tajani said that proposed changes to the parameters for the Italian state budget would result in economic slowdown and public debt increase.

The European Commission said in fall it could not accept Italy’s high-spending budget that would raise the cash-strapped nation’s deficit to 2.4 percent next year. The amended bill cut that target to 2.04 percent.

READ MORE: WATCH Brawl Erupt in Italian Parliament Amid Intense Budget Debate

Italy ranks second after Greece in the European Union in terms of public debt, with its debt amounting to 131.8 percent of the country's GDP.

Discuss