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European Union leaders wrapped up the first day of summit talks on the bloc's budget with little sign that a deal was emerging
Speaking to reporters, German Chancellor Angela Merkel said positions are still "very far apart" and a deal remains in doubt.
She also remained doubtful that leaders would achieve a definitive outcome when they meet again later in the day
Agreeing, French President Francois Hollande said leaders will most likely fail to reach a deal on the EU's one-trillion-euro budget.
According to officials, Herman Van Rompuy, president of the European Council made modest changes to the budget proposal.
That would leave the EU's total budget ceiling for 2014 to 2020 roughly unchanged at just below 1 trillion euros.
