Meloni Sees Italy Growing Faster Than EU Partners This Year.

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni believes that Italy's economy will grow faster than the European Union average this year, despite the EU's prediction of lower performance for the country. Meloni expressed optimism about a reduction in interest rates by the European Central Bank. Italy has avoided a downgrade of its debt to junk status and has not faced censure from the European Commission for loosening its fiscal stance. However, the Bank of Italy has lowered its growth forecast for Italy due to tighter monetary and credit conditions. Meloni defended a windfall tax on banks but faced setbacks in raising fresh taxes from the banking industry. She plans to sell assets worth €20 billion to reduce debt and may consider privatizing the national railways service. Meloni's premiership has been marked by controversies, including disagreements with coalition partners over a budget law and the EU bailout fund. Italy's priorities during its presidency of the Group of Seven nations will include artificial intelligence and Africa, in line with efforts to address illegal immigration. [Extracted from the article]