Tax & Spend

Italy Deficit at 3.1% Breaches EU Ceiling in Setback for Meloni

A worker inspects a pressure gauge during routine maintenance at the combined cycle gas turbine power plant, operated by Sorgenia SpA, in Aprilia, Italy.

Photographer: Alessia Pierdomenico/Bloomberg

Italy’s deficit breached the European Union’s ceiling last year in the biggest fiscal setback for Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s government since she took office in 2022.

The shortfall was 3.1% of gross domestic product, according to data published on Friday by the national statistics institute in Rome, confirming a preliminary estimate.