ROME, Sept. 24 (Xinhua) -- Italy's Prime Minister Mario Monti said on Monday that 2013 will be "a year of growth" for the recession-hit country.
He made the remarks when addressing a conference organized by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) and his government to analyze structural reforms recently adopted in Italy and identify further steps.
"Italy is no longer part of the group of countries that threaten the stability of the eurozone," thanks to the austerity reforms carried out by his technocratic cabinet over the past 10 months, he said.
Monti said Italians' reaction to his measures was "not hostile," which showed that the government has "persuaded them it was in their interests."
Yet, in order to overcome the debt crisis, it is necessary to stimulate productivity and competitiveness that have remained flat for too long in Italy, he said.
The prime minister said he will not run for a second term at the end of his mandate scheduled for next spring.
He added his government will "make every effort to implement an anti-corruption bill," which has become fundamental following a series of corruption scandals in the Italian political landscape.
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