By Michel Rose and Foo Yun Chee
PARIS/BRUSSELS (Reuters) -France picked International Minister Stephane Sejourne as its new candidate for the subsequent European Fee because the incumbent, Thierry Breton, abruptly stop on Monday with robust phrases for the EU’s re-elected govt chief Ursula von der Leyen.
This was an sudden twist within the extremely political EU energy transition that follows the June European elections and during which key jobs within the bloc’s highly effective decision-making establishments are shared out for the subsequent 5 years.
However ditching Breton, who had publicly clashed with von der Leyen, was the value to pay for France to maintain a giant portfolio within the subsequent European Fee group, which von der Leyen is predicted to announce this week.
A supply accustomed to the matter stated President Emmanuel Macron had negotiated a beefed up inside market and business govt vice-president transient for the French nominee, overseeing a cluster of commissioners.
Because the EU’s second-biggest member state, France made clear it wished a significant put up within the shake-up of key jobs in EU establishments that follows the June elections.
“The President has always sought to obtain a key European Commission portfolio for France, focused on the issues of industrial, technological sovereignty and European competitiveness,” Macron’s workplace stated in an announcement.
Sejourne, 39, is a Macron loyalist, a detailed ally who chairs his social gathering and a former EU lawmaker who led the social gathering’s ticket within the 2019 European Parliament election.
He has stored a low-key profile at France’s overseas ministry, which he has been main since January, and the place he caught to, and defended, Macron’s line.
In his resignation letter, Breton stated that von der Leyen had requested France “a few days ago” to withdraw his title as its decide for the Fee “for personal reasons” in return for an “allegedly more influential portfolio”.
“In light of these latest developments – further testimony to questionable governance – I have to conclude that I can no longer exercise my duties in the College,” Breton stated within the letter.
KEY JOBS
Von der Leyen’s workplace declined to touch upon Breton’s allegations and his resignation. A Fee spokesperson stated von der Leyen nonetheless hoped to have the ability to current the proposed new Fee group on Tuesday.
Breton, one of many highest-profile members of the European Fee for the previous 5 years, is finest recognized for sparring publicly with tech billionaire Elon Musk and taking part in a key position in shaping the 27-nation EU’s Large Tech regulation, its COVID-vaccine response and efforts to spice up defence industries.
A former French minister and enterprise govt, he was the EU’s business and inside market commissioner throughout von der Leyen’s first time period. He had backed the telecoms sector’s push to get Large Tech to assist fund the rollout of 5G and fast-speed broadband throughout Europe.
However Breton and von der Leyen’s relationship took a flip for the more serious over latest months. The French commissioner, a liberal, angered von der Leyen by publicly criticising her nomination because the European conservative EPP’s social gathering candidate to go the Fee for a second time period, EU officers have stated.
Breton’s public feuds with Musk had additionally been met with dismay amongst different Fee colleagues, officers added.
Nonetheless, the most recent developments had been a shock, an individual with direct information of the matter stated, including that Breton had been anticipated to be reappointed by von der Leyen.
The transfer can be seen as an influence play between the EU’s two greatest heavyweights – von der Leyen’s residence nation Germany and France – over who calls the pictures within the EU at a time when Macron is weakened at residence after having misplaced EU and French parliamentary elections.
