Italian PM Prime Minister Matteo Renzi was interviewed in newspaper Corriere della Sera (published on Sunday) . In brief:

  • Said Italy does not need help in managing its economy from the European Commission, European Central Bank or International Monetary Fund
  • Said Italy was stronger than it was perceived from abroad
  • And that he did not fear that international investors would have a change of heart on Italy
  • “I do not live in fear of the markets. Italy is stronger than the worries of observers”
  • “The real problem is that (economic) recovery in Europe is very fragile … more than expected”

There’s more detail here at Reuters (ungated)

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There is also more from Reuters on Italy, here:

Carlo Cottarelli left a high-level job at the International Monetary Fund last year to help the Italian government cut high public spending. Nine months on, the craggy 59-year-old economist and newly minted “spending commissioner” has made little headway.