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BERLIN — Italy's Premier Mario Monti has warned that his country needs to see more concrete support from the European Union and Germany in return for the painful austerity measures it has adopted.
Monti, who was greeted with military honors in Berlin Wednesday when he arrived for talks with Chancellor Angela Merkel, was quoted in an interview with German daily Die Welt as saying that his country's economic reforms do not receive the recognition they deserve.
"It is a problem that despite our sacrifices we do not experience any kind of concession by the EU, for example in the form of a cut in interest rates," Monti said in an interview that was printed in German.
He warned Italians could turn hostile toward Europe and Germany if they do not see that the austerity measures they have accepted lead to any progress in the country's financial situation. Although Monti's government has adopted debt-cutting reforms, Italy's borrowing rates remain dangerously high.
"If the Italians do not see concrete rewards for their willingness to save and reform, there will be protests in Italy against Europe and also against Germany which is seen as ringleader of EU intolerance and against the European Central Bank," Monti told the paper.
Italy is a key focus because of its size, huge debt load and need to borrow heavily in the first quarter. The yield on its 10-year bonds is hovering around the 7 percent level that is widely considered to be a danger mark.
Some economists say the European Central Bank should help Italy more by buying its government bonds on the open market in larger quantities. That would lower Italy's borrowing rates and ease pressure on its finances. But the ECB, along with Germany, resists such as move because it does not want to be seen propping up specific governments.
The ECB will hold its monthly monetary policy meeting on Thursday, but analysts do not expect it to cut interest rates — which would help a weak economy like Italy's — nor signal a more aggressive stance in its bond purchases.
Monti's meeting with Merkel is the latest in a series of talks between European leaders. The German leader met in Berlin on Monday with French President Nicolas Sarkozy and on Tuesday evening with International Monetary Fund chief Christine Lagarde. Lagarde was in Paris on Wednesday to speak with Sarkozy.
Merkel and Sarkozy also plan to travel to Italy on Jan. 20 before a European summit at the end of the month.
