European Council President Charles Michel chairs a special European Council meeting at the EU headquarters in Brussels, July 17, 2020. (European Union/Handout via Xinhua)

The EU summit, the first face-to-face one since the outbreak of the pandemic, failed to reach consensus on the next seven-year budget and an ambitious recovery plan designed to lift the bloc out of the crisis triggered by the coronavirus pandemic.

BRUSSELS, July 18  -- A special summit grouping heads of state and government of the European Union (EU) member states on Saturday failed to reach consensus on the next seven-year budget and an ambitious recovery plan designed to lift the bloc out of the crisis triggered by the coronavirus pandemic.

The leaders will reconvene on Sunday noon, said a spokesman for the European Council President Charles Michel.

The extension by an extra day was proposed by Michel, who has hosted the challenging roundtable and held bilateral meetings with his counterparts from the member states in the first two days, trying to bridge their differences.