12/10/2018 (Agence Europe) – In an interview with the French daily Le Monde, published on Friday 12 October, European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker differentiated between the public finance situations of France and Italy. Italy’s draft budget for 2019, which is to be forwarded to the Commission on Monday 15 October, is expected to provide for a nominal deficit of 2.4% of GDP (see EUROPE 12111). When asked whether the Commission would give an unfavourable opinion on this draft, Juncker said there were "more than slight degrees of difference between the Italian case and what one calls the 'French precedent'". France "has always kept to its word, even when that was not easy. Italy does not", he added. We recall that Italy must reduce its structural deficit by 0.6% of GDP from 2018 to 2019, but Rome foresees a deeper deficit of 0.8%. (LT)