Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte was portrayed as the king of the frugal faction in the EU’s marathon budget talks, but back home they think he wasn’t frugal enough.
As the figurehead of a group of small, rich countries urging restraint during the summit — dubbed the “Frugal Four” — Rutte succeeded in changing the balance of grants and loans in the EU’s coronavirus recovery fund. He also got a discount on the annual budget contribution and extra income from customs duties for the Netherlands.
It earned him a great deal of criticism from fellow leaders.
French President Emmanuel Macron compared Rutte …read more
Source:: European Voice
