Breton resignation
Trouble with von der Leyen? New candidate for EU Commission
Updated on September 16, 2024Reading time: 3 minutes
It was considered a given: the Frenchman Thierry Breton will not become EU Commissioner again. Instead, a new candidate from Paris is entering the race.
Shortly before the presentation of the new team for the EU Commission, the current French Commissioner Thierry Breton unexpectedly resigns. In a letter published on Platform X, he cited differences with EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen as the reason. Breton was previously Commissioner for the Internal Market and Services. The new candidate from Paris will be acting Foreign Minister Stéphane Séjourné.
In the letter, Breton accused von der Leyen of having asked France a few days ago to withdraw his name from the new Commission – for personal reasons that she had not discussed directly with him. The Frenchman further wrote that he must resign as EU Commissioner with immediate effect “in view of these recent developments, which represent further evidence of questionable governance.”
Von der Leyen's new commission is due to be presented to the EU Parliament in Strasbourg this week. Breton was considered settled – and it was expected that he would be given an important portfolio again.
French President Emmanuel Macron has now proposed Séjourné for the office. Séjourné was chairman of the liberal Renew group in the European Parliament in the last legislative period before moving to Paris as foreign minister at the beginning of the year.
A statement from the Élysée Palace said that Séjourné met all the necessary criteria. Macron expressed his gratitude to Breton and described him as a “remarkable EU Commissioner”. He contributed greatly to advancing a European sovereignty policy in digital policy and making the EU internal market more resilient during the Corona crisis. He did not comment on a possible conflict with EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.
An EU Commission spokeswoman said von der Leyen acknowledged the resignation and thanked Breton for his work as commissioner throughout his term. The spokeswoman did not want to comment on the harsh allegations against Deutsche. There had already been trouble between von der Leyen and Macron following the appointment of the former French Economy Minister Breton as Internal Market Commissioner in 2019. And during his term in office, he often publicly criticized von der Leyen.
In Berlin and other European capitals, Breton's departure is unlikely to be viewed with much regret. In the past, government representatives have repeatedly accused the Frenchman of unilaterally representing the economic policy interests of his home country, even though Commission representatives are supposed to act independently of the national interests of individual governments. In addition, it was viewed critically that Breton recently took on the US tech billionaire Elon Musk without prior consultation.
Around 32,000 employees report to the management of the EU Commission, who, among other things, make proposals for new EU laws and monitor compliance with the European treaties. The selection of commissioners for the new EU Commission is the last major step towards filling top political positions after the European elections in June.
Von der Leyen also wants to ensure gender parity when casting. She therefore wrote to the heads of state and government of the EU states asking them to propose both a man and a woman for the commissioner posts. However, most EU member states resisted von der Leyen's demand and nominated only one candidate for the commission – the majority of whom were male.
There were exceptions for EU countries that wanted to nominate their incumbent EU Commissioner – like Breton – for another term in office. The EU treaties do not require member states to nominate a man and a woman.
Shortly afterwards, von der Leyen was nominated by the heads of state and government of the EU states for a second term as president of the powerful authority and was elected by the European Parliament. After the nomination process for the commissioners, she now has to assign them areas of responsibility.
