BRUSSELS: The European Parliament will seek clarification on tying a new coronavirus recovery fund to democratic values after the matter was left open by leaders at a European Union summit this week, the assembly's president said on Wednesday.

"We need to see exactly what intervention measures are to be used to support this," David Sassoli said. "We can't support a reduction in our expectations for shared values."

"We think this is an open issue, we want to participate. Here we will not be satisfied with just mentions of principle."

Asked if the assembly could block the agreement made at the summit on the EU's long-term budget and the recovery fund, Sassoli said he was determined that the European Parliament be respected.