Italy’s squabbling populist coalition partners were to meet on Dec. 16 to seek agreement on key parts of the country’s contentious 2019 budget in a bid to gain European Union approval and avoid sanctions.
Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte was due to meet with Deputy Premiers Luigi Di Maio, Matteo Salvini, and Finance Minister Giovanni Tria to discuss the budget plan and see whether a deal is close enough to be finalized, a spokesman for Conte said.
