Spanish prime minister meets Dutch counterpart in preparation for EU leaders summit

Record ID: 1562006

  • Title: Spanish prime minister meets Dutch counterpart in preparation for EU leaders summit
  • Date: 13th July 2020
  • Summary: THE HAGUE, THE NETHERLANDS (JULY 13, 2020) (AGENCY POOL) DUTCH PRIME MINISTER, MARK RUTTE, WAIVING AT JOURNALISTS AS HE WAITS FOR SPANISH PRIME MINISTER, PEDRO SANCHEZ, OUTSIDE HIS OFFICIAL RESIDENCE CATSHUIS RUTTE INTERACTING WITH JOURNALISTS GUARD LOOKING ON RUTTE TELLING JOURNALISTS HE HOPES A SOLUTION CAN BE FIND ON A RECOVERY PACKAGE AT THIS WEEK'S EU LEADERS SUMMIT BUT THAT IT WON'T BE EASY RUTTE GREETING SANCHEZ FROM A DISTANCE, SANCHEZ WAIVING AT JOURNALISTS SPANISH, DUTCH AND EU FLAGS SANCHEZ AND RUTTE POSING FOR PHOTOS FLAGS SANCHEZ AND RUTTE ENTERING BUILDING FOR MEETING MAN CLOSING DOORS EXTERIORS OF CATSHUIS
  • Embargoed: 27th July 2020 14:22
  • Keywords: COVID-19 EU summit European Union Mark Rutte Pedro Sanchez Recovery fund coronavirus frugals grants loans recession talks
  • Location: THE HAGUE, THE NETHERLANDS
  • City: THE HAGUE, THE NETHERLANDS
  • Country: Netherlands
  • Topics: European Union,Government/Politics
  • Reuters ID: LVA001CMN8GG7
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text: Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte met his Spanish counterpart Pedro Sanchez on Monday (July 13) to discuss the European Union's economic stimulus plans before national leaders meet at the end of the week to haggle over how to recover from the coronavirus pandemic.
    The European Council last week presented a long-term EU budget of 1.074 trillion euros and a recovery fund of 750 billion euros for pandemic-hammered economies, with two-thirds of that to be in the form of free grants and the remaining issued as repayable loans.
    The Netherlands is leading a group of nations, known as the frugal four, that are opposed to collectively borrowing billions of euros for other EU countries unless they commit to budget reforms.
    Rutte has said he will seek guarantees on budget reforms when negotiating the recovery fund and told journalists that even if he was hoping an agreement would be found, it would not be easy.
    Austria, the Netherlands, Denmark and Sweden, the 'frugal four', are among the biggest net contributors to the bloc's budget and also generally oppose big spending plans. Together, they resisted the idea that the fund contain grants, suggesting only loans instead.
    (Production Hortense de Roffignac)
  • Copyright Holder: POOL (CAN SELL)
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