As a rule, any talks between EU leaders take much time. Each EU member state has its own interests and economic power. This is why when it comes to the question of the long-term EU budget, negotiations can turn out to be longer than expected.
An agreement on the 2021-2027 budget was a really tough challenge for the EU leaders. Some experts think that presently, Europe lacks a stronger leader who will not only unite divided states, but also set an example to others. EU leaders tried to split the spending as economically stronger states were unwilling to help less economically stable ones. For this reason, they were unable to come up with an agreement on the bloc's seven-year-long budget. "The differences were simply too big...Even rough data of the new proposal was enough to show that this would not be enough to bridge the differences," Merkel said. Germany has told many times that it is tired of being Europe's life jacket. "The opinions on the size of the recovery fund are diametrically different. We will see if we even get to some agreement today, I rather think that we will not," Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babis pinpointed. Apart from the EU budget, the member states remained at odds over the overall size of the recovery fund and its split between free grants and repayable loans, budget rebates for five rich net payers.
Nevertheless, everybody knew that it would not be easy negotiations. Thus, despite these obstacles, the EU was trying to reach a consensus. "Time is a luxury we cannot afford. We need to act urgently and courageously, as EU citizens, businesses and economies need an immediate response. Our citizens expect bold action. Now it is time for us to deliver," European Parliament President David Sassoli said in his speech to EU leaders.
