Respecting fiscal rules not Italy's priority, says deputy PM

FILE PHOTO: Italian Deputy Prime Minister Luigi Di Maio speaks in Rome, June 7, 2018. REUTERS/Tony Gentile/File Photo

ROME (Reuters) - Respecting European Union's fiscal rules is not the priority of Italy's new government though it will try to abide by them if they do not hamper its reform agenda, deputy Prime Minister Luigi Di Maio said on Monday.

He said Rome would try to apply its planned reforms, which include tax cuts and higher spending on pensions and welfare, without breaching fiscal conditions set by the European Union to help Italy reduce its public debt, the highest in the bloc after bailed-out Greece.