Prime Minister Mario Monti of Italy has speeded up plans to approve a number of austerity measures to bolster the economy and head off the crisis threatening the eurozone.
At a cabinet meeting, called 24 hours ahead of schedule, he is expected to reveal new austerity measures, worth about 24 billion euros.
Mr Monti brought the meeting forward to Sunday in a bid to finalise the budget before the markets open on Monday.
Final approval by parliament is expected by the start of the Christmas recess on 23 December.
They are thought to include savings, tax increases and pension reform set to force more Italians to work longer.
They come at a time of grave concern about the state of Italy's finances.
Italy has recently been compelled to pay the kind of very high rates of interest that eventually forced Greece to call for an international bailout.
Eurozone leaders are due to meet again on Thursday and Friday in Brussels on the crisis.
Mr Monti, a former EU commissioner, said there would be no room for error at the summit and that financial markets would punish inaction.
