“2020 is a year that will go down in the history books. The pandemic we are facing is unprecedented, as are the measures we have devised to tackle it and its consequences”. The President of the European Parliament, David Sassoli, said this in his opening remarks at the European Council, which today and tomorrow will bring together in Brussels the 27 EU Heads of State and Government. Discussion will focus on the response to the pandemic, the Recovery Fund, climate, security, the fight against terrorism, and external relations. “In this very room, in July, less than five months ago, you took historic decisions. The European Union’s determined response has been much appreciated by people in Europe… It is now time to make that agreement final. This year unlike any other is coming to an end. The crisis exacerbated by the second wave of the pandemic is worsening and we do not yet have a recovery plan or an MFF for the coming years. The 2021 budget on which the Council and Parliament have reached agreement has not yet been formally adopted”.

“We reached a very satisfactory agreement” on “the MFF, the Recovery Fund and new own resources”; “I hope that a solution will be found by tomorrow which will enable us to vote on the 2021-2027 MFF and the Rule of Law Regulation next week”. Member States are divided on these issues, with strong opposition coming from Poland and Hungary who do not want to link the disbursement of EU funds to respect for the rule of law. The German mediation, however, seems to be leading to an agreement between the 27. The summit, which was scheduled to start at 13:00, was delayed by a meeting between the Council Presidency and the leaders of Hungary and Poland.