Italy should be awarded the same treatment by European Union finance ministers as Germany and Portugal have been given, the chairman of EU finance ministers' meetings said on Sunday.
Dutch Finance Minister Gerrit Zalm, whose country assumed the rotating European Union presidency on July 1, also said the decision on whether or not to issue a warning to Italy over its budget deficit would depend on the measures presented on Monday during a meeting of EU finance ministers.
"It depends on what proposal and what details he would put forward," Zalm said, referring to Silvio Berlusconi, who will be representing Italy on Monday.
Asked if it were possible to envisage that Italy escaped an early warning in exchange for commitments rather than concrete details, Zalm said:
"We have had earlier precedents - Germany and Portugal who have put forward proposals. We want to treat each country in an equal way, including Italy,"
Asked if it were possible to delay a warning to Italy, Zalm said:
"It is now July so it is not really early. If we postpone it would be October and it would be a late warning," Zalm said, without specifying whether a decision should be postponed or not.
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