Macron, Merkel express hope for EU virus recovery deal
Brussels, Belgium: French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Monday expressed cautious hope for an agreement on a post-Coronavirus recovery plan, on the fourth day of a marathon EU summit in Brussels.
Painful discussions resumed with what Macron said was "the possible hopes of a compromise", but he added: "Nothing has been agreed yet, so I will remain extremely cautious".
"There's a spirit of compromise that's there, there have been some very tense moments and some moments that will no doubt be difficult again", he said.
He spoke as the 27 EU leaders began gathering for another session of talks after three days and nights of prolonged wrangling failed to agree the 750-billion-euro rescue package.
Macron and Merkel, the EU's most powerful leaders, are the deal's backers, but are facing bitter opposition from the Netherlands and other "frugal" smaller but rich nations of the north.
"Last night... we put in place a framework for a possible agreement," said Merkel.
"This is a step forward and it gives hope that an agreement can be reached today -- or at least that an agreement is possible." To placate the Netherlands, EU Council President Charles Michel is expected to propose that the level of grants in the package is reduced to 390 billion euros, compared with 500 billion euros in the initial proposal.
Weary and bleary, European Union leaders were gearing up Monday for a fourth day of fighting over an unprecedented 1.85 trillion-euro ( $2.1 trillion) EU budget and Coronavirus recovery fund, barely recovered from a weekend of walkouts, fists slamming into tables and insults
It was planned as a two-day summit scheduled to have ended Saturday, but there are deep ideological differences between the 27 leaders forced the talks into two extra days.
Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte, defending the cause of a group of five wealthy northern nations the Netherlands, Austria, Finland, Sweden and Denmark, sought to limit costs and impose strict reform guarantees. He came under criticism from Macron, Italy and Hungary, whose Prime Minister Viktor Orban asked why the Dutchman had such hate toward him.
Rutte took it in stride.
We are not here because we are going to be visitors at each other's birthday party later. We are here because we do business for our own country. We are all pros, he said. On Sunday night, after three days of fruitless talks and with hope dimming, Michel implored leaders to overcome their fundamental divisions and agree on the budget and recovery fund.
Are the 27 EU leaders capable of building European unity and trust or, because of a deep rift, will we present ourselves as a weak Europe, undermined by distrust, he asked the leaders. The pandemic has sent the EU into a tailspin, killing around 135,000 of its citizens and plunging its economy into an estimated contraction of 8.3% this year.
