BRUSSELS — On a terrace overlooking the sun-kissed city of Brussels, European Union leaders felt Saturday they were finally closing in on a deal for an unprecedented 1.85 trillion euro ($2.1 trillion) EU budget and coronavirus recovery fund, despite tensions running high after months of battling the pandemic. Heading into a balmy summer evening, a deal was still far off, but several key nations said negotiations were at least heading in the right direction. Two full days and one night of discussions by the bloc's 27 leaders oscillated between raw irritation over how the huge sums should be spent and what strings should be attached to a glimmer of hope that somehow a deal could materialize — if not this weekend, then at least at another summit within a few weeks. “Things are moving in the right direction," said Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz. “It it is of course, as you would expect, a tough struggle, a tough negotiation, but we’re moving in the right direction, and that is the most important thing.”

Source: New York Times July 18, 2020 08:29 UTC