PARIS — Ever restless in his quest to forge a Europe of independent strength, President Emmanuel Macron of France has a new brainchild, the 44-nation European Political Community, which will convene for the first time Thursday in Prague.
Larger than the 27-nation European Union, the new body includes countries like Ukraine and Moldova that are impatient with the long process of securing EU membership. A mild provocation to the United States, which was not invited, and a larger one to Russia, which sees any Western turn by countries on its border as incendiary, the association aims to give a voice to a broader Europe.