RAF CASERT and MIKE CORDER
Associated Press
BRUSSELS (AP) — European Union leaders on Saturday extended their summit by an extra day, convinced they were finally closing in on a deal for an unprecedented 1.85 trillion euro ($2.1 trillion) EU budget and coronavirus recovery fund, an EU official said.
Heading into a balmy summer night, a deal was still far off, but several key nations said negotiations were at least heading in the right direction despite tensions that were running high after months of battling the pandemic.
Two full days and one night of discussions by the bloc's 27 leaders oscillated between raw irritation over how the huge sums should be spent and what strings should be attached to a glimmer of hope that somehow a deal could materialize — if not this weekend, then
