Senior Brothers of Italy figure Tremonti blames EU for high inflation

FILE PHOTO: Italy's then Finance Minister Giulio Tremonti (R) walks past France's Economy and Finance Minister Francois Baroin (L), Germany's Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble (2nd L) and Spain's Economy Minister Elena Salgado (C) at the start of an euro zone finance ministers' meeting in Brussels November 7, 2011. REUTERS/Francois Lenoir/File Photo

MILAN (Reuters) - A senior figure in the far-right Brothers of Italy party, which is tipped to win national elections at the weekend, on Thursday blamed 10 years of European Union monetary and fiscal policies for skyrocketing inflation.

Consumer prices in the euro zone rose by a record 9.1% in August, prompting a 75-basis-point interest rate increase by the European Central Bank in early September.