Renzi attacks 'unacceptable' EU budget rules

Rome, Oct 12 (IANS/AKI) Italian Premier Matteo Renzi on Wednesday slammed the European Union's "bureaucratic" budget rules, saying it was "unacceptable" for countries to have to stick to these rigidly.

"How can country like ours ... submit to bureaucratic and theoretical and questionably written rules that are open to interpretation without considering the needs of its own citizens," Renzi told Italy's parliament.

"It is unacceptable that anyone should even think we should."

"We have had three earthquakes in seven years," Renzi stated.

He was speaking days before his government was due to unveil budget plans expected to exceed EU deficit limits in order to fund extra spending on migration and the rebuilding of areas hit by a devastating earthquake in central Italy in August.

Italy is planning a 24.5 billion euro budget expected to hike the 2017 deficit to 2.4 percent of gross domestic product compared to 1.8 percent agreed earlier this year with Brussels, Finance Minister Pier Carlo Padoan said late Tuesday.

--IANS/AKI

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