Designate populist premier Giuseppe Conte's pledge to uphold Italy's standing in Europe and internationally is a "positive sign", France's economy minister Bruno Le Maire said in Brussels on Thursday.
"Italy is a crucial eurozone partner. It is a founder (European Union) member and one of the biggest economies in the eurozone and the EU," Le Maire said on the sidelines of a Eurogroup meeting.
"We all noted the positive statements by Conte who quite rightly is committed to upholding the common rules. It's a positive sign."
France and other eurozone nations want to work with Italy "in a constructive way," Le Maire said.
Le Maire last weekend warned that the stability of the 19-member eurozone would be at stake if a populist government in Italy failed to keep its financial commitments to the EU. Italian public debt is forecast to remain 130 percent above its GDP this year - more than double the bloc's 60 percent ceiling.
Italy's president Sergio Mattarella on Wednesday asked 53-year-old Conte, a law professor and political newcomer to form a government.
The planned anti-austerity government between the grassroots Five-Star Movement and the eurosceptic League party, which want to review the EU's budget rules, has alarmed the bloc and sent jitters through European markets.
Conte was on Thursday holding talks with Italy's political parties in order to draw up a list of cabinet ministers and submit their names to Mattarella for his endorsement. Conte's cabinet line-up must then be approved by the parliament in a confidence vote within ten days of its formation.
Italy has been in political limbo since the inconclusive 4 March national election in which populist forces made strong gains but no party or alliance won an outright parliamentary majority.
Five-Star is now the largest party while the centre-right alliance lead by League party chief Matteo Salvini is the biggest parliamentary bloc.
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