ZAGREB, July 18, 2020 - It would not be good to water down the idea of a strong and quick response to the economic consequences of the coronavirus crisis, Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic told reporters before the continuation of the EU summit in Brussels on Saturday.
EU leaders were meeting on Saturday in renewed efforts to reach an agreement on the next seven-year budget and the coronavirus recovery plan after negotiations hit a deadlock on Friday because the Netherlands insisted that payouts from the recovery fund should be decided unanimously.
Plenkovic said that the Dutch position was bad.
"The whole meaning of the idea of €500 billion in grants and €250 billion in loans was to provide a strong and quick response immediately in order to accelerate the economic recovery. If for some reason this is watered down, then it's not it anymore," the Croatian PM said.
He said he expected a new proposal from the European Council president and a new start to negotiations.
"I believe a majority of member states will make an effort to reach an agreement. I cannot say with certainty whether some countries will stay firm in their positions," Plenkovic said.
