Italy govt expects GDP to grow just 0.1 pct in 2019: Report

The Italian government expects the country's gross domestic product (GDP) to grow just 0.1 per cent this year, down from a 1 per cent expansion forecast in December, Il Sole 24 Ore daily reported on Wednesday.

A planned package of measures designed to lift economic growth could boost this year's GDP to 0.2 per cent, the paper said, allowing the government to submit to the European Commission a revised deficit-to-GDP target of 2.3 per cent. That compares with a 2.04 per cent deficit forecast in Italy's 2019 budget law.