Meet the liberals, starring Emmanuel Macron

For the first time since he was elected president of France in May 2017, Macron will on Thursday take part in the traditional pre-European Council meeting of liberal leaders.

Macron always resisted taking in part in the meetings organized by ALDE (the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe), during which the likes of Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte and his Belgian counterpart Charles Michel discuss their party lines before meeting other leaders at the summit.

But this time the pre-summit meeting is organized by Renew Europe, the (partial) rebranding of the liberal family, which makes it more acceptable to the Elysée.

Even though he created his own party in France, Macron has resisted political labels and refused to be counted among any of Europe’s traditional political families, perceiving pan-European parties as too rigid. He also didn't want to join ALDE because he didn't want to be associated with the word "liberal," which is often used negatively in France to imply ultra-capitalism.

“I deeply believe that ... Europe cannot allow itself the luxury of vain quarrels and small fights or to add internal crisis to the tensions of the world" — Emmanuel Macron, French president

But even after teaming up with the main liberal ALDE family in the European election, he still declined to attend pre-summit meetings. That set him apart from other leaders like German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who has almost never failed to attend a meeting held by the European People’s Party, of which her CDU party is a member.

Instead, the French president used his party's high score in the European election to rebrand ALDE in the Parliament as Renew Europe (ALDE still exists as a wider European liberal group). His appearance on Thursday appears to show that Macron is ready to embrace the EU's liberal family.

An invite to this week’s meeting sent out by the head of Renew Europe in the European Parliament, Dacian Cioloș, says "the President of the French Republic, the Prime Ministers, the Vice-President of the European Commissioners" will meet in Brussels ahead of the European Council.

First up will be a session with Macron, liberal prime ministers and political leaders before a discussion on Brexit with Guy Verhofstadt, the Brexit coordinator in the Parliament, Jo Swinson, the new leader of the U.K.'s Liberal Democrats, and Micheál Martin from Ireland's Fianna Fáil, according to one Renew Europe organizer. Then it's a lunch meeting with Macron, prime ministers, Cioloș and Margrethe Vestager, who'll be one of the new European Commission's executive vice presidents.

Macron’s attendance will also be an opportunity for him to secure support after the rejection by MEPs of Sylvie Goulard, his close ally and France's pick for the next Commission.

Macron and Ursula von der Leyen, the Commission president-elect, believed that MEPs, in deference to Paris, would confirm Goulard as a sort of super-commissioner overseeing a wide portfolio that spanned from defense to technology, despite Goulard facing investigations over alleged financial misconduct.

Last week, Macron blamed leaders of rival political groups for the rejection of Goulard, and noted that she had been the personal choice of von der Leyen.

On Sunday, Macron spoke out against political infighting in the Parliament following Goulard’s rejection. Accusations have been flying that Goulard was rejected as revenge by the European People's Party after Macron led the charge against the EPP's initial pick for Commission chief, Manfred Weber.

“I want us to be able to work together, with Chancellor [Angela] Merkel and the future President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen, to build a strong European Commission based on a solid majority in the European Parliament that we all have the responsibility of building and comforting,” Macron told reporters alongside Merkel.

“I deeply believe that in this particular moment, Europe cannot allow itself the luxury of vain quarrels and small fights or to add internal crisis to the tensions of the world … our strength resides in our unity, our capacity to have ambition for our future," Macron added.