EU hopes Italy will get government 'soon'

Brussels   :  The European Union hopes that a government will be formed in Italy "soon", ending the stalemate since last month's inconclusive election, EU Trade Commissioner Cecilia Malmstroem said on Monday.

"We hope there will soon be a new Italian government with which the EU and members states can have relations," Malmstroem told a press conference here.

Earlier Monday, the European Commission's chief spokesperson Margaritis Schinass said the EU executive had "utmost faith" in Italy's President Sergio Mattarella, who has the task of overseeing efforts to end the post-election deadlock.

Mattarella on Monday asked the lower house of parliament's Speaker Roberto Fico, to hold talks with the main party leaders on a possible coalition government.

Fico's consultations will be the fourth round of talks this month amid a mesh of seemingly irreconcilable demands by Italy's political leaders.

Italy - the eurozone's third largest economy - has had a caretaker government since the March 4 ballot in which populist parties made strong gains but no party or bloc won a parliamentary majority.

Mattarella is reported to be eager to avoid more elections this year and wants to have a workable coalition government in place by a European Union heads of state and government summit in Brussels on June 28.