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To: AllansAlias who wrote (79976)	3/14/2001 8:32:29 AM
From: stomper	Respond to of 436258

PARIS, March 14 (Reuters) - A Bank of France survey provided further evidence on Wednesday of a slight downturn in forecast growth in the eurozone's second biggest economy under the shadow of the slowdown in the United States. French Finance Minister Laurent Fabius earlier this month revised forecasts of 2001 economic growth down to "a little less than three percent" from previous predictions of growth of more than three percent as a result of the U.S. slowdown. Economists see French growth of 2.6 to 2.9 percent. (Remember when they were all touting 3%+ growth rate for the Eurozone?) FRANCE MORE SHELTERED "We've assumed the French economy will hold up reasonably well in the context of a wider slowdown in the eurozone," said Ken Wattret at BNP Paribas in London. "Exports may be a problem, but exports are not as important for the French economy as they are for Germany or the Netherlands," de Groot said. ITALY SIGNALS LOWER GROWTH Italy on Wednesday became the latest European country to signal that its 2001 GDP growth would be less than forecast as a result of the economic clouds spreading from the United States. The Italian government's official forecast is for growth of 2.9 percent. But Treasury Minister Vincenzo Visco said in response to a question "It has been known for six months that in 2001 there will be a downward revision. Now we have to see by how much." ((Paris newsroom +33 1 4221 5339, fax +33 1 4236 1072, paris.newsroom@reuters.com)) Wednesday, 14 March 2001 12:38:48