预算若遭欧盟拒绝，意大利将面临灾难

意大利经济部长近日表示，欧盟需在二选一中做出抉择，或者允许意大利提高预算赤字以应对地震和移民危机，或者采取“匈牙利模式”，设置阻挡难民入境的路障，他还称若欧盟选择后者，意大利将面临灾难。

皮埃尔·卡洛·帕多安接受《共和国报》采访时称：“欧盟必须决定采取何种选择。他们可以选择允许我们将赤字率从2%调高至2.3%（即赤字占GDP总值的比率），以应对灾后重建和移民突发事件。”

“亦或者，他们可以采取匈牙利的方式，筑起高墙，将移民挡在门外。但是我们不接受此方法，因为这将是终结的开始。”

上周，宪政改革公投举行前，意大利政府发布了2017年预算增加计划，此后意大利政府强化了反欧盟的言辞，而这可能将决定意大利总理马泰奥·伦齐（Matteo Renzi）的政治前途。

此前增加预算的方案中，通过了预算赤字和政府债务目标，而罗马坚称需留有财政余地，以应对地中海边境的移民危机，以及八月份大地震的灾后重建工作。

欧洲委员会官员称对此计划表示担忧，正在考虑向意大利发出警告函。

对意大利政府来讲另一则不幸的消息是，周五，惠誉评级公司下调了对意大利的评级展望，理由是意大利经济增长缓慢、债务繁重，以及12月4日公投结果的不确定性，均给这一欧元区第三大经济体带来了风险。惠誉称由于意大利存在“财政改革一再推迟、任务后置”等记录，因而降低了该国的信用。

帕多安称，意大利在应对移民和难民流入方面，比其他任何国家的投入都要多。

他还说，“迄今为止，没有人认可我们在财政方面做出的努力。这是个政治问题，关乎国家的未来命运。”

伦齐周五的言论则更具挑衅意味，称不会被欧盟左右，亦不会修改预算法：“我们要满足意大利民众的需求，而非迎合所谓的技术专家统治。”

民意调查显示，伦齐打算降低参议院的地位、将权力集中，因而他可能会输掉公投。不过他已经采取了一些可能拉到选票的方式，并整理好了预算。（财富中文网）

译者：司慧杰/汪皓

Italy’s economy minister said on Sunday the European Union must choose between allowing Rome to raise its deficit to cope with a recent earthquake and the migrant crisis, or the “Hungarian way” of putting up barriers, which he said would spell doom for the bloc.

“Europe must choose which side to take. They can accept the fact that our deficit goes up from 2 percent to 2.3 percent (of gross domestic product) to tackle the earthquake and the migrant emergencies,” Pier Carlo Padoan told la Repubblica daily in an interview.

“Or they can choose the Hungarian way, which puts up walls against the migrants and must be rejected. That would be the beginning of the end.”

The Italian government has been stepping up an anti-Brussels rhetoric after unveiling an expansionary 2017 budget plan last week ahead of a referendum on constitutional reform that may decide Prime Minister Matteo Renzi’s political future.

The budget hiked previously agreed targets for the budget deficit and the public debt, with Rome insisting it needs fiscal leeway to deal with the migrant crisis on its Mediterranean borders and reconstruction after a huge earthquake in August.

The European Commission has numerous concerns about the plan and is considering sending Rome a warning letter, officials have said.

In a further blow for the government, Fitch Ratings agency cut its outlook for Italy on Friday, saying weak growth, high debt and the uncertain outcome of the Dec. 4 referendum posed risks to the euro zone’s third-largest economy. Fitch said Italy’s track record of “repeated delay and back-loading of fiscal consolidation reduces credibility.”

Padoan said Italy had spent more money than any other European state to deal with the inflow of migrants and refugees.

“So far no one has recognised our financial commitment … It’s a political problem, that concerns the future of the continent,” he said.

Renzi was even more defiant on Friday, saying he will not be swayed by the EU and will not change the budget law. “We want to address the needs of Italian citizens, not Brussels technocracy,” he said.

Opinion polls suggest Renzi may lose the referendum on his plan to reduce the role of the Senate and centralise decision making. But he has packed the budget with potentially vote-winning measures.