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Rival Plans for EU Crisis Fund Signal Bumps in the Road to Come

  • Franco-German proposal for grants is the main sticking point
  • EU executive arm to seek to bridge differences with own plan
Pedestrians pass the closed Moulin Rouge theatre in Paris, on May 10.

Pedestrians pass the closed Moulin Rouge theatre in Paris, on May 10.

Photographer: Adrienne Surprenant/Bloomberg

European Union governments are trying to forge a consensus over how to provide aid to the countries hardest hit by the coronavirus pandemic.

With France and, crucially, Germany proposing a jointly-financed recovery fund to help the region cushion the blow from the steepest recession in living memory, the outcome of the talks could determine the bloc’s future direction and have global ramifications.