After two days of discussions, the 27 European leaders have not reached an agreement on the post-coronavirus recovery plan, and the lack of progress in the discussions pushed Angela Merkel and Emmanuel Macron to slam the door of a meeting . 

On the third day of negotiations, discussions remain complicated in Brussels. Two days after the start of the summit, the 27 European leaders are to meet again on Sunday in order to overcome their deep differences over the EU recovery plan linked to the coronavirus crisis. But while the so-called "frugal" countries have so far blocked the adoption of this plan, the atmosphere became tense on Saturday evening, and Emmanuel Macron and Angela Merkel slammed the door of a meeting. 

LIVE - Coronavirus: follow the situation on Sunday July 19

Since Friday, the Netherlands and their "frugal" allies resist the calls of Germany and France, the two heavyweights of the Union, to accept a plan which would benefit the countries most affected by the pandemic, the 'Spain and Italy at the head. On the negotiating table, a fund constituted by a borrowing capacity of 750 billion euros to revive the European economy hit by the pandemic, backed by the long-term budget of the EU (2021-2027) of 1.074 billion euros. The unanimity of the 27 member states being required, a compromise is particularly difficult.

A little before one in the morning, most of the leaders had already gone to bed. But the German Chancellor, the French President, and the President of the European Council had remained for a face-to-face meeting with the Prime Ministers of the Netherlands, Sweden, Denmark, Austria and Finland, always seeking to minimize the ambition of the plan. And after more than 48 hours of negotiations, they obtained concessions, which however failed to soften them. They are still demanding cuts that are unacceptable to the Franco-German couple. "This meeting was very hard," two European sources told AFP. 

Clash with the frugals. Macron and Merkel have just left the room where they were meeting.

- isabelle ory (@isabelleory) July 18, 2020

A muscular explanation between Macron, Merkel, and Mark Rutte

Faced with this situation, Angela Merkel and Emmanuel Macron therefore decided to play the dramatization, and returned to their hotel rather than continuing to discuss. Already, at the beginning of the evening, they had had a muscular first explanation with the Dutch Prime Minister, Mark Rutte, the stiffest of all. But without concrete result.

Despite everything, the summit is supposed to resume at noon. But Sunday morning, the president and the chancellor will take stock, and will decide if they throw in the towel temporarily or if they continue.