No more consensus! Emmanuel Macron triggers 'irreversible' power battle that could END EU

She said: “Macron seems to have convinced Romania and Bulgaria to his side. 

“France is going against Poland, Hungary and even the European Commission which wants the posted worker term time to be two years.”

“The support he has might be enough to overcome the blocking minority in the EU council. This is end of the European consensus politics.” 

The row has centred on rules governing posted workers – the cheap labour from eastern countries sent to more prosperous EU nations.

Poland – the member that benefits most from the law – wants to keep the current rules intact.

Mr Macron said: “Poland has decided to isolate itself from Europe and its refusal to revise this directive doesn’t change my confidence in getting a positive outcome.

“The Polish prime minister will have difficulty explaining why it’s good to pay the Poles badly.”

He added Poland “cannot be the country that gives Europe its direction.”

Polish Prime Minister Beata Szydlo hit back, calling the French leader’s criticism “arrogant”.

She also accused France of trying to “take apart one of the pillars of the EU” — the free movement of workers among the bloc’s 28 nations.

She added: “The future of Europe will not be decided by the president of France, or by any other individual leader, but jointly, by all the member states.”

However, Mr Macron warned refusal to obey his demands would mean the “dismantling of the EU”. 

Mers Krumbmuller said the row opened up an irreversible wound across the block that divided the eastern and western EU states.

She warned France and Germany risked appearing as bullies if they forced through their plans, and predicted a widespread rebellion and dissolution of the bloc if Mr Macron’s plans go ahead.