EU leaders to discuss post-Brexit budget hole

BRUSSELS - EU leaders minus Britain were scheduled to debate for the first time on Friday how to fill a Brexit-sized hole in the bloc's budget and how to choose a successor to European Commission head Jean-Claude Juncker.

Grand plans pushed by French President Emmanuel Macron to reboot the European Union after Britain leaves in 2019 will collide with issues of cold hard cash and sovereignty at the summit in Brussels.

The 27 leaders won't take any formal decisions on Friday but will lay the ground for what could be bitter negotiations ahead, particularly over a post-Brexit funding gap of up to $18 billion a year.