President of the European Commission Jean-Claude Juncker (L) and Italy's Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte attend a joint press conference in Rome | Filippo Monteforte/AFP via Getty Images Juncker calls on Rome to do more to save Italian economy Commission chief says he’s ‘quite worried about the Italian economy’s slowdown.’

ROME — Italy must step up measures to spur growth, European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker said in remarks, putting him at odds with the country's League-5Star government.

Juncker said he’s “quite worried about the Italian economy’s slowdown.”

Speaking at a joint press appearance with Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte, Juncker said, “Considering the level of Italy’s public debt it’s very important the government focuses on growth measures.”

Conte called on other EU countries to boost public spending and stimulate the economy.

“We spoke about the slowdown of the global economy due to the U.S.-China trade war, and I told Juncker that countries that have more fiscal space should use it to support the eurozone’s economy,” said Conte.

“I also explained that since the Italian government had forecasted an economic slowdown we implemented expansive fiscal policies ... which will not change in the upcoming [spring budget document],” he said.

Conte said there is full understanding between Rome and Brussels that the slowdown is considered a transitional factor by the EU.

Juncker and Conte took a cordial tone in the appearance. Still, the EU executive’s comments add to pressure on the government from the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development. On Monday, the OECD slammed Italy's citizen's income and pensions reform, the coalition’s flagship economic measures.

The Paris group of developed economies also slashed the growth figure for this year to 0.2 percent. The Italian government's fiscal expansion agreed with Brussels in December is based on a 1 percent growth.