EU summit host Charles Michel held talks with Geman Chancellor Angela Merkel, French President Emmanuel Macron and the main leaders involved in the dispute in an open-air space atop the Europa summit centre before joining other EU leaders for dinner. The EU executive has proposed a 750-billion euro fund, partly based on common borrowing, to be sent as loans and grants to the most needy countries. That comes on top of the seven-year one-trillion-euro EU budget that leaders were fighting over even before COVID-19 slammed their continent. The diplomat also spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to publicly discuss the closed-door negotiations. Kurz said major issues still under discussion include the rule of law in EU nations and certainty on how the funds will be used.

Source: CBC News July 18, 2020 20:15 UTC