Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi on Friday announced that his government intends to balance the budget by 2013, one year earlier than the previously set target, dpa reported. Flanked by Economy Minister Giulio Tremonti, Berlusconi made the announcement at a hastily convened evening news conference in Rome as Italian stocks came under renewed pressure during trading and yields on government bonds again topped the 6 per cent mark - a level considered unsustainable by analysts. Berlusconi also said that the measures which the government "immediately" intended to work at are part of a "coordinated response" agreed with other European Union leaders.
