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French press review 23 June 2017

French President takes "Macron Effekt" to maiden summit with EU peers, but questions loom about his ability to transform  enthusiasm into reform.

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The commentators watched President Emmanuel Macron as he held a maiden meeting with his European peers on Thursday, with his pledge to build a new Europe and Britain's shock Brexit decision on the agenda.

"Macron was the star of the Summit", writes Le Parisien, expressing a sense of pride that the Germans went to the extent of recognizing a so-called "Macron Effekt" behind the cheerful mood in which the Summit was held.

The paper says German Chancellor Angela Merkel was in high spirits and did nothing to conceal that as she started praising "the creativity and new talent coming from France" even before entering the Summit plenary Hall.

As the 39-year-old basks in his post-election honeymoon, La Croix says his arrival at the Elysée has injected a new momentum into European construction, first by acknowledging Europe's role in delivering the reforms he pledged to introduce in France.

As the paper also points out, Macron should be pleased to see the increased awareness about the European crisis within the EU.

But as La Croix points out EU leaders are probably more excited watching how the centrist reformer will reign in on France's big public spending and what he will do to spur economic growth in the monetary zone.

L'Humanité welcomes the new mind set of awareness noticed in the EU's leadership, especially about growing pessimism among middle class Europeans. But the Communist newspaper casts doubt on the ability of the reforms sponsored by Macron to translate into concrete results.

L'Humanité claims that Macron's problem is one of approach, the choice he made to follow the path traced by his two predecessors who decided to cling to Angela Merkel's coat tail.

Libération comments about the cautious welcome given to British Prime Minister Theresa May's offer of post-Brexit rights for EU citizens.

The left-leaning publication says the package came as no surprise from a premier, weakened by an inglorious campaign and mediocre results which translate an even deeper malaise among British voters about the programmed and unenthusiastic exit from Europe.

Libé also comments about the complexity of the Brexit process. According to the paper, the anger of Brits attached to Europe, and flawed economic policies have dampened the enthusiasm of "apologists dreaming of "splendid isolation'.

Le Figaro underlines an irony of sorts. The Brits it says, voted to leave the EU for fear of "losing control of their destiny".

But as it observes, now their leaders seem to have lost control of the Brexit machine, the momentum allegedly broken by Theresa May's electoral debacle.

Le Figaro also points to increased skepticism about Brexit among Brits and rising uncertainty about what to expect from Brexit whenever it finally happens.

The conservative publication urges Europeans not to allow their vision and thrust to be blurred by the fog rising from the British Channel.

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