France: Macron, Rutte meet to discuss post-virus economies

French President Emmanuel Macron met Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte in The Hague on Tuesday, for talks on the European Union's proposal for a 750 billion euro (approx. 850 billion US dollars) recovery fund for countries affected by the coronavirus pandemic.

Devised to help member states' economies cushion the impact of the virus, the package is far from being unanimously welcomed.

The aid plan - a blend of debt mutualisation, grants and loans - has failed to gain the approval of the Netherlands, part of a group of countries known as the Frugal Four along with Denmark, Austria and Sweden.

They oppose issuing too much common debt to support the hardest-hit countries and argue that the money should mainly be handed out in loans instead of grants.

Macron is hoping to reach a compromise during bilateral talks with his fiscally conservative Dutch counterpart ahead of an EU summit next month.