German finance minister 'quite optimistic' that solution will be found for Italy budget
FILE PHOTO: German Finance Minister and vice-chancellor Olaf Scholz attends the weekly cabinet meeting in Berlin, Germany August 1, 2018. REUTERS/Joachim Herrmann/File Photo
BERLIN (Reuters) - German Finance Minister Olaf Scholz said on Monday he was relatively optimistic that a solution would be found in Italy’s row with Brussels over its 2019 budget, which the European Commission has rejected.
“We are quite optimistic that in the end there will be a good solution,” Scholz told the foreign press association in Berlin. “I expect the Italian government will take the necessary decisions.”
Turning to Brexit, he said no country in Europe would escape unharmed from a no-deal British exit from the European Union but that Britain would suffer most. “For Britain, that would definitely be the worst option,” Scholz said.
Reporting by Paul Carrel and Thomas Escritt; Editing by Michelle Martin
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