The Italian government plans to boost staff at the foreign ministry and at its embassies and consulates around the world, foreign minister Luigi Di Maio said on Thursday.
"It is an absolute priority to increase staff at the Farnesina and at our diplomatic representations worldwide," Di Maio told the lower house of parliament's foreign affairs committee.
France and Germany have "almost twice" Italy's diplomatic staff while Great Britain has "four times as many", Di Maio said.