BRUSSELS — European Union leaders gathered on Friday to start hammering out a giant aid package to help their economies recover from the coronavirus calamity. The major sticking point is how much latitude to give those receiving the aid to spend it as they please. Since much of the money is guaranteed by wealthier northern states, some of them are demanding that strings be attached to push economic, political, environmental and social reforms. Chancellor Angela Merkel of Germany, whose nation recently took over the European Union’s rotating presidency and who has led efforts to push ahead with the package, previously sounded optimistic. But she was cautious as she arrived about the prospects of reaching a deal.

Source: New York Times July 17, 2020 11:29 UTC