France will propose Foreign Minister Stephane Sejourne to serve on the European Commission after the shock resignation of Brussels heavyweight Thierry Breton, President Emmanuel Macron’s office said on Monday.
Sejourne “meets all the necessary criteria”, the Elysee Palace said, highlighting his previous experience leading the liberal Renew group in the European Parliament, and added that he should run a portfolio similar to Breton’s focused on “industrial and technological sovereignty and European competitiveness”.
France’s Thierry Breton announced he was quitting with immediate effect, claiming EU chief Ursula von der Leyen had asked Paris to withdraw his candidacy for the incoming executive.
The shock resignation of the bloc’s powerful internal market commissioner comes a day before von der Leyen was expected to unveil the makeup of her next commission, in the wake of EU-wide elections in June.
French President Emmanuel Macron had put forward Breton’s name for France’s spot on the commission, and his reappointment to a major role – reflecting the country’s weight within the 27-nation EU – was taken as a given.
Breton, whose strained relationship with his EU boss was no secret during her first five-year mandate, said the request was made “for personal reasons that in no instance you have discussed directly with me.”
EU chief Ursula von der Leyen accepted the resignation, a European Commission spokeswoman said.
“The president takes note and accepts Thierry Breton’s resignation and thanks him for his work as commissioner throughout the mandate,” the spokeswoman told reporters.
One of the EU’s most influential figures, Breton has been the bloc’s internal market commissioner since 2019 and has taken a hard line against abuses by the world’s biggest digital platforms.
His portfolio also included defense and space, overseeing a defense industry push and marshalling the production of COVID-19 jabs.
The former CEO of France Telecom had been tipped to get a promotion to be a commission vice president, stewarding industrial growth.
Counterweight
The 69-year-old was seen by Paris as a key counterweight to Berlin’s influence at the heart of the EU.
“Over the past five years, I have relentlessly striven to uphold and advance the common European good, above national and party interests,” Breton wrote in announcing his resignation.
“It has been an honour.”
How the 27-member commission’s portfolios are divvied up will send a strong signal regarding the EU’s political direction and the relative influence of each member state – after EU parliament elections marked by far-right gains.
Von der Leyen has been leaning on member countries to put forward more women to make up the bloc’s executive arm, after most – including France – ignored her request for a choice between one man and one woman candidate.
With AFP
