EU Parliament chief deplores cuts in key budget programs

BRUSSELS (AP) — The European Parliament’s president has criticized the cuts to key programs that the EU’s 27 leaders approved in the bloc’s long-term budget at a marathon summit this week. The seven-year budget worth 1.07 trillion ($1.2 trillion) was negotiated in tandem with a 750 billion-euro ($868 billion) economic recovery package that aims to help EU countries bounce back from the recession caused by the coronavirus pandemic. The deal on the budget and recovery fund