It was the moment that the French president Emmanuel Macron began to really assert himself on the European Council. There was even a proposal – circulated to senior European Commission officials on Wednesday morning – that the extension should be until December 2020. The dynamics of the European Council are not just related to the size of your country and your political and diplomatic clout; they are also personal. At the European Council, the presidents and prime ministers are in there alone. At the next European Council, all the other leaders will watch Macron more closely; what does he want?

Source: The Irish Times April 13, 2019 03:00 UTC