Italy Senate Approves EUR20 Billion 2018 Budget Law

Italy's Senate gave its final approval to the 2018 budget, dispatching the chamber's last major piece of legislation and paving the way for the dissolution of parliament as soon as next week.

With an eye to elections next year, lawmakers approved a budget that largely avoids painful measures and seeks to extend an economic expansion that is the strongest the country has seen since 2011.

Italy's lower house gave its green light to the law Friday. Now that Italian lawmakers have given their full approval to the budget, Italian President Sergio Mattarella is expected to dissolve parliament and call new elections, which then must take place within 70 days. A vote in early March is widely expected.

Write to Giovanni Legorano at giovanni.legorano@wsj.com

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

December 23, 2017 07:03 ET (12:03 GMT)