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Coronavirus live news: Trump casts doubt on China death toll as IMF issues Asia warning – The Guardian, Theguardian.com

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The coronavirus pandemic should act as a call for solidarity among Europe’s leaders,

German finance Minister Olaf Scholz has said, adding that he hoped the European Union would emerge from it stronger. Reuters reports:

EU finance ministers agreed last week on half-a-trillion euros of support for their coronavirus-battered economies, but left open the question of how to finance the subsequent recovery in the bloc, which is headed for a steep recession. “The current challenge is a call for solidarity. That applies on a global scale, but it also applies specifically for Europe , ”Scholz said.

His comments came in an interview with Reuters on Thursday, in which he also reiterated Germany’s reluctance to commit any form of collective post-lockdown debt issuance by the bloc or its institutions. Asked how the pandemic would change the EU, Scholz said: “I hope it will be stronger, more united and more confident.”

The outbreak has laid bare bitter divisions within the bloc, with member states squabbling over topics including money, medical equipment and drugs, border restrictions and trade curbs.

Last week’s agreement did not resolve the issue of whether to use joint debt to help finance the recovery, something Italy, France and Spain pushed strongly for but which remains a red line for Germany, the Netherlands, Finland and Austria.

The bloc’s 42 national leaders are only committed to discussing whether “innovative financial instruments” should be applied, paving the way for further debate.

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