Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte looked to cool down friction between the European Union (EU) and the government he heads, claiming that despite high-profile disagreements over Italy's swelling budget deficit the country remains dedicated to Europe.

Addressing repeated media reports that Italy might eventually consider leaving the EU or the 19-nation euro currency zone, Conte told reporters at Rome's Foreign Press Club that the government had not discussed either move, nor did it plan to do so.

"Read my lips," Conte said Monday, briefly switching from Italian to English. Conte went on to say there was no path for Italy, one of the founding members of the EU, to leave the bloc or the currency union.

According to Gian Franco Gallo, an ABS Securities political affairs analyst, it was no coincidence Conte made his case in the middle of a budget standoff with European officials and to the Foreign Press Association.

"Conte has been saying for some time that he wanted to speak to the foreign reporters, but he did it now because it's an indirect but effective way to speak to foreign capitals including Brussels," Gallo told Xinhua, referring to the administrative capital of the EU.

If that was the case, Conte made it clear Italy had no plans to back down from its draft 2019 budget, which includes a deficit equivalent to 2.4 percent of the country's gross domestic product, three times higher than European officials called for.

In absolute terms, Italy has the largest public debt in the EU, and the second highest when stated as a percentage of gross domestic product.

The 2019 budget is subject to approval from the European Commission, the EU's executive, which has never told a country to rewrite its budget. There is widespread speculation in the Italian and European media that that could happen this week, when the evaluation of Italy's budget plan is released. Conte said that if that indeed happens, Italy would not back down.

"We're not a bunch of know-nothings," Conte said. "We worked on this budget in a very serious way for a very long time, and we think this is what is best for Italy. If the commission tells us to change the budget and we say, 'OK, we'll change it' that means we weren't very serious about it in the first place."

Conte said Italy has already reduced government spending as much as it realistically can. In that context, he said, the only way to shrink the deficit as a percentage of gross domestic product is to grow the gross domestic product. He said the 2019 budget will do that.

"Once these reforms are put into place, economic growth will take off," the prime minister said. Plans include creating a minimum national income for all Italians, raising the minimum retirement payments, lowering the retirement age, and reducing taxes on business.

Giovanni Tria, Italy's minister of finance, wrote the European Commission Monday to vow the deficit would not exceed the 2.4-percent of gross domestic product level in 2019.

In his remarks, Conte said that level would be "a ceiling" and that economic growth next year could mean the deficit might end up smaller.

Gallo said the promises from Tria and Conte may prove more important than what actually happens -- at least in the near term.

"This is the most important period for the budget because if the commission says 'OK' it means Italy can start focusing on other priorities as long as it does not act outlandishly," Gallo said.

"Of course, the problem will rise again in eight or nine months when whoever is in charge will have to start seriously thinking about the 2020 budget."