Germany Doubtful of an EU Agreement on COVID-19 Fund

German Chancellor Angela Merkel expressed doubts regarding whether members of the European Union will reach an agreement on the coronavirus recovery fund or not.

An EU summit will discuss on July 17-18 the planned EUR 750 billion ($840 billion) economic stimulus package.

The meeting will also discuss the next seven-year European budget.

“The positions remain apart. I can’t say today whether we will reach an agreement on Friday,” Merkel said on Monday during a press conference with the Prime Minister of Italy, Giuseppe Conte, Reuters reported.

Italy and Germany have reportedly agreed on the basic structure of the EU proposals, according to Merkel.

The German Chancellor recently said that EU members must soon agree on a deal regarding the recovery fund, stressing that an agreement must be reached before the end of the summer.

On the other hand, Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte recently indicated that there is no urgency to reach an agreement during the upcoming summit.