Analysis-Macron's EU standing takes hit from parliament mess - but who else to lead?

FILE PHOTO: Romanian President Klaus Iohannis, Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz arrive for a news conference in Kyiv, Ukraine June 16, 2022. Ludovic Marin/Pool via REUTERS/File Photo

PARIS (Reuters) - President Emmanuel Macron has suffered a bruising setback in France's politics but may yet stay out ahead in a three-way race as Europe's informal leader, not because of his own mandate but because of the weakness of his German and Italian rivals.

Nonetheless, just as he is having to learn new negotiating skills in Paris after a parliamentary election setback on Sunday, he may have to become more accommodating in Brussels and other European capitals, from his fiscal ambitions to his defense goals.