'Premature to separate eurozone budget from EU'

Italy considers it "premature" to talk about separating the eurozone budget from that of the entire European Union, said Italian Economy Minister Vittorio Grilli in Luxembourg on Monday. "In the EU budget, there is a lot more than the monetary union. There are programs and sectors that concern all 27 countries. In the first place, it is necessary to find an agreement that is constructive and accepted by all 27," the minister added, while admitting that opinions on the budget are still deeply divided. "We know that negotiations are always difficult, with national interests running high".