Opposition parties are clamouring for a vote in parliament, but Meloni said on Wednesday that was not about to happen and linked the debate to ongoing discussions on a broader reform of European budget rules. "Italy's interest is addressing negotiations on European governance, which covers the entirety of our national interests," she told parliament. "Meloni does not want to leave the anti-ESM front to Salvini and nobody wants to lose face," he told Reuters. Despite irritation in Brussels over the dithering in Rome, EU officials have told Reuters that any attempt by Meloni to link ESM approval to much more significant budget reform will not pay off. Italy, which has the second largest debt mountain in relation to its GDP in the euro zone after Greece, has criticised the suggestion.

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Persons: Giorgia, Meloni, Matteo Salvini, Francesco Galietti, Paschal Donohoe, Francesco Saraceno, Crispian Balmer Organizations: ROME, European Union, Treasury, Reuters, European, Rome's Luiss University, Sciences Po, European Commission, Thomson Locations: Italy, Brussels, Rome, Sciences Po Paris, Greece, Rome's