BRUSSELS – EU leaders will on Thursday try to find ways to resolve a diplomatic dispute with members Poland and Hungary to unlock a 1.8 trillion-euro ($2.1 trillion) budget and recovery package aimed at putting the economy back on track after the pandemic.Several EU countries, including France, have already warned they don't expect the talks, initially planned to focus on the COVID-19 crisis, will settle the bloc's latest crisis.The deal for the budget and recovery fund looked well on track to enter into force in January - until Hungary and Poland vetoed it this week.
They objected to a new “rule-of-law mechanism” that would allow the bloc to deny funds to countries that violate democratic norms — something that both Poland and Hungary have.