higher contributions to the European budget for
a period of time,” she told the lawmakers.
Drawing up a recovery plan that can be endorsed
by all will be more challenging. The consensus
is that it should total at least 1-1.5 trillion euros
and target the economic sectors and European
regions hit hardest by the coronavirus.
Ahead of Thursday’s summit, officials said that
no major breakthroughs are expected. No joint
communique will be published, probably just
a statement from European Council President
Charles Michel, who is chairing the meeting.
The EU’s executive arm, the European
Commission, will be tasked with drawing up a
recovery plan, which could be incorporated into
the bloc’s next seven-year budget, if differences
over that spending package can be overcome.
Big contributors to the budget, like Germany
and the Netherlands, are reluctant to fill the
estimated 75-billion-euro spending gap left by
Britain’s departure from the EU.