Macron's Anti-Populist Swagger Finds Fan in Divided East EU
- Romania PM Grindeanu says French leader can spur bloc’s reform
- Poland has been criticized by Macron over democratic record
The Meteoric Rise of France's New President
This article is for subscribers only.
Emmanuel Macron’s pro-European verve is already proving a thorn in the side of some of the continent’s eastern nations. But the French president’s rise is being welcomed elsewhere in that region.
Even before his election landslide, Macron took aim at Poland’s lurch toward nationalist populism, encouraging proposals that could also counter Hungarian leader Viktor Orban’s self-styled “illiberal democracy.” Nearby Romania isn’t perturbed. Far from it -- its prime minister sees Macron as the catalyst for a much-needed European Union overhaul.