ROME The absence of programmatic data in the latest economic and financial document could indicate the Italian government’s unwillingness to acknowledge rising public debt before the European elections in June, former IMF director and former Senate member Carlo Cottarelli told Euractiv Italy. Read more. European Commission defends Italian fiscal policy despite country’s economic struggles. The European Commission defended its four-out-of-five star rating for Italy’s COVID relief plan, known as the “super bonus” tax scheme, to Euractiv Italy, despite recent data detailing the fiscal policy’s staggering cost to the Italian state. Read more. /// LISBON Portugal’s New PM visits Madrid, Middle East high on agenda. The visit to Madrid by Portugal’s new Prime Minister Luís Montenegro on Monday reflects the importance he attaches to relations between Portugal and Spain but will feature Middle Eastern issues high on the agenda. Read more. /// MADRID Ribera floated as Sánchez’s top candidate in EU election race. Spanish Ecological Transition Minister Teresa Ribera could be the lead candidate for the EU election list of Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez’s ruling Socialist Party (PSOE/S&D), according to information from insiders, though a final decision will be taken at the end of April. Read more. |