It is a major European meeting. After months of videoconferencing, the 27 leaders of the European Union meet - "for real" - this Friday morning in Brussels to prepare an unprecedented revival of the European economy. For the first time in their history, Europeans want to go into debt together to the tune of 750 billion euros to finance solidarity. But the tensions between them threaten the success of the summit.
These days, in Brussels, diplomats have dark circles under their eyes. For weeks already, they have been trying to reconcile positions. "And it's still very difficult," they said on Thursday evening. The southern countries, which have been particularly hit, by the coronavirus impatiently await the European billions. In France alone, the government can hope for 35 billion euros in direct aid, a third of the national recovery plan announced by Emmanuel Macron.
Viktor Orban threatens to veto
But Austria, Denmark, Sweden and the Netherlands resist. They want to reduce the airfoil of the fund. The Netherlands also demands to have a say in how the money will be used in Rome, Madrid or Paris. Another difficulty, it comes this time from the east. Brussels has planned that in the future, to benefit from European subsidies, it will be necessary to respect the rule of law. Obviously, Hungary and Poland feel targeted. Viktor Orban claims that he will veto everyone at the European level if these provisions are maintained.
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Result, in recent hours, no one dared to make a forecast on the duration of the summit, or on its eventual success.