Reuters reports that the European Union must reach a deal on a proposed 750 billion euro economic recovery plan to cope with the impact of the coronavirus crisis by July, French Junior European Affairs Minister Amelie de Montchalin said on Thursday.

“There is no other solution than having a deal by July. If we do not have a stimulus plan, we will have a problem,” Montchalin told BFM Business radio.

The European Commission’s recovery plan aims to help economically weaker countries hit hardest by the coronavirus.

But fiscally conservative northern countries - the “frugal four” of the Netherlands, Austria, Denmark and Sweden - have resisted some proposals, notably taking on mutual debt.