Macron’s Hungary trip highlights EU rift over liberal values

By JUSTIN SPIKE and SYLVIE CORBET
Associated Press

BUDAPEST, Hungary (AP) — French President Emmanuel Macron is in Hungary’s capital for talks with the leaders of the European Union’s eastern member nations. The discussions on Monday are likely to highlight political rifts over the scope of the EU’s authority as France prepares to take over the EU’s rotating 6-month presidency on Jan. 1. Macron is set to have bilateral meetings with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban and Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki. The French leader also plans to take part in a summit of the leaders of Hungary, Poland, Slovakia and the Czech Republic. Macron’s trip is the first visit to Hungary by a sitting French president since 2007.