European Council President Charles Michel, left, poses for photographers with German Chancellor Angela Merkel, third right, French President Emmanuel Macron, second right and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. But on content, things have moved forward,” said Macron, stressing his continued partnership with German Chancellor Angela Merkel. “An extraordinary situation demands extraordinary efforts,” Merkel said as the leaders were heading into one of the bloc’s longest summits ever. 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.

Source: The Standard July 20, 2020 13:52 UTC