EU moves towards disciplining Italy on budget, Rome remains defiant

BRUSSELS/ROME (Reuters) - The European Commission took the first step on Wednesday towards disciplining Italy over its draft 2019 budget but Rome said it had no intention of changing its plans, setting up a confrontation that could last months and eventually lead to fines.The Commission said the expansionary budget, which raises the deficit to 2.4 percent of gross domestic product from 1.8 percent this year, was "a particularly serious case of non-compliance" with its recommendations.The EU..