France holds presidential elections in April and May, after which Macron must leave office because he can only serve two terms. As Macron attended an EU summit in Brussels, Le Pen travelled there the day before to call for slashing France's EU budget contribution and ending support for Ukraine, which has European officials worried she is already trying to influence EU affairs. For Macron, the threat of a Le Pen presidency has sharpened focus on what he can still achieve in his final months, and diplomats say he retains influence in Brussels despite domestic crises. One academic says Macron is strong on foreign and security policy but weak on economics, while German Chancellor Friedrich Merz is seen as weaker than ever after the strongest far-right win in Germany since 1945.
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