EU braces itself for tough and acrimonious summit

EU leaders will begin a crucial meeting this evening with hopes fading fast for a deal on the budget and with no clear idea of how to get the union out of its current constitutional mess.

How they deal with both issues is likely to determine how the bloc is perceived, with no agreement and disputes leading to the impression that the EU is in permanent crisis.

But the situation on the budget does not bode well for a deal. A compromise proposal brought forward on Wednesday by the Lu...