Macron's Hungary trip highlights EU rift over liberal values

French President Emmanuel Macron is in Hungary’s capital for talks with the leaders of the European Union’s eastern member nations

BUDAPEST, Hungary -- French President Emmanuel Macron traveled to Hungary's capital on Monday for talks with the leaders of the European Union's eastern member nations, discussions likely to highlight political rifts over the scope of the EU's authority and the bloc's future course.

Macron was set to have a bilateral meeting in Budapest with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, a right-wing populist who has challenged the EU's values and its jurisdiction over the affairs of the 27 member nations.

Orban and Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki, with whom Macron also plans to meet, have been engaged in a conflict with Brussels over the EU's attempts to rein in governments seen as violating rule of law and democratic standards.

The EU's executive arm has withheld tens of billions of dollars in COVID-19 economic recovery funds from Poland and Hungary about corruption, judicial interference and media control. The EU has threatened to impose additional sanctions if the countries fail to live up to rule of law requirements.