France says EU recovery fund cannot come at expense of long-term budget

PARIS (Reuters) - France said on Tuesday a European Union recovery fund to help countries deal with the economic impact of the coronavirus crisis should not be an excuse for fiscally conservative countries to demand cuts to the bloc's long-term budget.France and Germany have proposed to their EU partners the creation of a 500-billion euro recovery fund made up of grants that would be paid to their hardest-hit regions.It was opposed by four countries who call themselves the 'Frugals' -- Austria,..