ROME (Reuters) - The leaders of Italy's ruling parties Matteo Salvini and Luigi Di Maio said in a statement on Thursday that the government was not about to collapse and pledged constructive dialogue with the European Union on budget rules.
"The government will carry on," they said in a joint statement following a rare face-to-face meeting, adding that their priority was to cut taxes in order to relaunch the economy.
The European Commission said on Wednesday that Italy's growing public debt broke EU rules, opening the way to a possible disciplinary procedure against Rome.
Relations between the ruling League and 5-Star Movement became fraught in the run up to last month's European parliamentary election and there has been widespread media speculation that their year-old coalition might collapse.
(Reporting by Angelo Amante; Editing by Crispian Balmer)