Down to the Wire as EU Leaders Discuss Coronavirus Recovery Fund

And she has agreed to include grants and not just loans in the recovery package to avoid overburdening member states with high debt already.

Rutte doesn't like that and Dutch officials said they would stick to their tough line going into the summit, raising the specter that a further summit might be needed.

There are also plans to link budget funds to respect for basic democratic rights that the European Parliament says are under threat in nations like Hungary and Poland.

Some eastern European nations will be objecting to having that as part of the deal.

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban was clear upon departure that he would fight any such strings attached to the plan.

"The Hungarian position is clear: Hungarians should decide about Hungarians' money," he said. (Writer: Raf Casert, Mike Corder) 

Source: https://apnews.com/8d2d9b29b19f1f8833955c673509f55a