EU budget battle joined ahead of summit showdown

''Every seven years, leaders from each EU country convene in Brussels for a fierce competition over the size of the bloc’s next long-term budget, and an even more ferocious fight over how — and especially where — to allocate the money. Ahead of this year's showdown, European Council President Charles Michel is meeting individually this week with 19 of the 27 EU leaders, trying to ascertain their top priorities, clarify red lines and pinpoint opportunities for movement. The mood music from the leaders so far is not upbeat but Michel's team still hopes to get governments to change their tune.

Michel has called a special summit to start on February 20. His invitation letter pointedly did not say when it would end. The haggling, always brutal, normally requires two summits and months of agonizing trade-offs..

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