Macron’s power play has been rebuffed by Merkel, while dissent is rife among other EU states. But at least Juncker remains steadfast on Brexit

Emmanuel Macron visited Germany hoping to persuade the weak and embattled Angela Merkel to join with France in his plan for a new eurozone budgetary regime.

He received a lukewarm reception for his plans and left with a fig-leaf statement of agreement in principle for a very diluted version of what he was proposing until recently.

He had originally been a champion of a euro finance minister, a euro budget, a euro fiscal ...