ROME - Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte said on Thursday he was not worried about the economy, despite the fact that Italy fell into recession at the end of 2018, saying output would pick up during 2019.
"I'm not at all worried ... Even the most naive analysts know that at this moment there is a trade war going on between the United States and China. Above all, Germany is holding us back ... it's a transitional phase, which depends on external factors," Conte told reporters.
"We are interested in focusing on the relaunch of our economy, which will certainly take place in 2019 ... This relaunch will hit full capacity in the second half."
(Reporting by Francesca Piscioneri; Editing by Crispian Balmer) ((crispian.balmer@thomsonreuters.com; +390685224351; Reuters Messaging: crispian.balmer.reuters.com@reuters.net))
