Spanish PM sees "very difficult hours ahead" as EU summit nears

Spain is among EU member states whose economies have been hard-hit by the pandemic and which want two-thirds of the recovery fund to be in the form of free grants.
"We have different views on the answer to the crisis, but we share a common goal," Sanchez told a news conference at the Swedish government's summer residence Harpsund south of Stockholm.

Sweden, one of the bloc's "Frugal Four", wants a proposed recovery fund to distribute loans rather than grants while also seeking a smaller long-term EU budget, positions that have pitted it against countries such as Spain.