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Macron Picks a Fights With Friends and Rivals

Macron Picks a Fights With Friends and Rivals

(Bloomberg) -- Emmanuel Macron portrays himself as the great proponent of European Union integration. But his electioneering is opening rifts with his EU allies.

In the past 48 hours, the French president has taken divisive positions on Brexit, trade talks with the U.S. and the explosive situation in Libya. On all those issues, Macron has found himself opposed by the rest of the EU.

The 41-year-old leader is gearing up for the European parliamentary elections at the end of May, his first major electoral test since winning power in 2017. With only a narrow lead in polls over the nationalist group led by Marine Le Pen, Macron is on the look out for any opportunity to show French voters he will fight for their interests.

That means speaking out against a potential trade deal with the U.S., even as the EU moves toward negotiations. It means fighting the rest of the EU to limit the amount over extra time given to the U.K. to complete Brexit.

It even meant watering EU criticism of Libyan warlord Khalifa Haftar, a French ally, despite the fact he ignored French calls to halt his offensive against Tripoli. That might not resonate much with voters, but it’s another sign of the new fighting spirit in France.

In Brussels, on Wednesday, EU Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker accused Macron of hijacking the Brexit talks to serve his own domestic political purposes. "I assume this role but I think it’s for the common good," Macron told reporters as he left the meeting.

Macron’s courtship of voters will continue next week with the results of his 10-week debate with citizens across the country on how to tackle France’s problems. The president is due to set out his conclusions from the process, designed to take the heat out of the Yellow Vest protests which have been roiling the country for almost six months.

To contact the reporter on this story: Helene Fouquet in Paris at hfouquet1@bloomberg.net

To contact the editors responsible for this story: Ben Sills at bsills@bloomberg.net, Richard Bravo

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