European Commission (EC) president José Manuel Barroso urged European Union (EU) leaders to come to an agreement on the 2014-2020 budget at the EU summit scheduled for tomorrow and Friday while noting that 'the crisis is far from over'.

"The Commission hopes that the heads of state and government will be able to come to a political agreement that can be the basis for the Council to obtain the consent of the European Parliament. And today I appeal to all the heads of state and government to bridge their differences and come to Brussels in a spirit of compromise and European responsibility so that this political agreement can be found," he said in a speech on preparation for the meeting of the European Council.

Barroso also warned that any "further delays would send out a very negative message at this time of fragile recovery".

While recognizing that individual heads of state were likely to push their national interests, he made a call for solidarity and concluded that "I continue to believe that an agreement is possible".

JM

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