EU Vice President urges to ensure independence of Italy's central bank

European Commission Vice President Valdis Dombrovskis urged on Monday to preserve the independence of financial supervisors after the Italian government stepped up pressure on the country's central bank. "It's important to preserve the independence of the central bank and also of financial supervisory institutions," Valdis Dombrovskis told reporter when asked whether the Italian executive criticism of the country's central bank could set a dangerous precedent. Italy's deputy prime minister Matteo Salvini said on Saturday that the management of the Bank of Italy and (market watchdog) Consob should be "completely cleared out."