The embattled French President, whose approval ratings have nosedived back at home, appeared to put domestic strife behind him and was all smiles as he positioned himself between Brussels bosses Jean-Claude Juncker and Donald Tusk for the “family photo”. Theresa May and her Italian counterpart Giuseppe Conte stood to the right of Mr Juncker while Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez and Dutch leader Mark Rutte were happy to stand to the left of Mr Tusk. The EU party posed for the picture as they met for a working session prior to the opening sessions of the Buenos Aires summit.
Mr Macron’s popularity has plummeted to just 26 percent according to the latest opinion polls for the 2019 European parliament elections.
Political analyst Pascal Perrineau said the President had lost three sectors of his voter base: the left and the centre-left through his fiscal measures in favour of the rich, pensioners who have suffered cuts and the middle classes and young voters.