European Union leaders remained fundamentally divided for a third day on Sunday over an unprecedented 1.85 trillion euro (£1.68 trillion) EU budget and coronavirus recovery fund.
European Union leaders remained fundamentally divided for a third day on Sunday over an unprecedented 1.85 trillion euro (£1.68 trillion) EU budget and coronavirus recovery fund.
And German Chancellor Angela Merkel warned they might not reach a deal despite the urgency imposed by the pandemic.
Luxembourg Prime Minister Xavier Bettel said in his seven years’ experience of European meetings: “I have never seen positions as diametrically opposed as this.”
Even with Mrs Merkel and French President Emmanuel Macron negotiating as the closest of partners, the traditionally all-powerful Franco-German alliance could not get the bloc’s 27 quarrelling nations in line.
Often negotiating outdoors on a sundeck in the Europa summit centre in Brussels, the blue skies and fresh breeze had no impact on the mood.
Undiplomatic terms like “hate” and “grumpy” have been thrown around between leaders during marathon negotiations that should have drawn everyone closer together to fight a historic recession in the bloc.
“Whether there will be a solution, I still can’t say,” Mrs Merkel said as she arrived early for the extra day of talks.
The differences were so great that Sunday’s resumption of talks by all 27 leaders together was pushed back several hours almost to the evening as small groups worked on new compromise proposals.
