ROME — The Italian Senate approved a much-revised package of austerity measures on Wednesday aimed at helping Italy to fend off a sovereign debt crisis that would threaten the stability of the euro.

The measures — tax increases, spending cuts and fewer labor protections — are intended to trim 54 billion euros, or about $76 billion, to balance Italy’s budget by 2013. To ensure passage after weeks of bitter political fights, the center-right government of Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi resorted to a confidence vote in the Senate, meaning that a majority “no” vote would have not only scuttled the bill, but also brought down the government. The measures passed, 165 to 141.

During the voting, an estimated several hundred people demonstrated near the Senate, some scuffling with the police. The bill now moves to a vote next week in the lower house, where the government has a narrower majority.

The passage of the measures, on a day when a German court upheld Berlin’s part in European bailout packages, was another sign that Europe’s governments were acting to safeguard the euro.