The usually pro-European leader harshly addressed the institution’s directive that allows companies from low-wage nations to richer EU countries without having to pay their local taxes and social charges.
In a press conference broadcasted by Deutsche Welle from Salzburg, Austria, Macron stated the EU was creating division between member states.
He said: “The directive on detached workers in its current form is a betrayal of the European spirit.
“The aim of the common European market and free movement of labor is not to favour countries which least promote social rights.
“As we have seen in our country, this feeds populism and erodes confidence in the European project.”
President Macron embarked on a three-day tour to gain the support of Eastern European leaders in his campaign to modify the directive.
Discussing the current division among EU member states in Bucharest, Macron said that lack of support for his reforms “will lead to the dismantling of the European Union.”
While in Romania, the French leader also took a dig at the current status of freedom of movement in the Schengen area.
He said: ” The Europe of the Schengen area is not working well and, of course, we can’t be happy about it.”
Mr Macron was once viewed as the EU golden boy due to the pro-European manifesto he presented during the electoral campaign to the Élysée.
He has however become increasingly critical of the bloc, especially in regards to labor-related regulation.
His attempts at reforming the EU have been met with stern criticism from some of the Eastern European politicians he would need to achieve his goals.
Warsaw’s foreign minister Witold Waszczykowski said Mr Macron was presiding over a crumbling economy.
He said: “Instead of compelling the French economy to compete with other countries’ economies, President Macron has devised a way to limit our ability to operate in the common European market.”