France's Breton resigns as EU commissioner in public clash with Ursula von der Leyen

FRANCE 24

16 September 2024 at 5:23 am·1-min read

French European commissioner Thierry Breton announced he was standing down from his role effective immediately Monday, publicly accusing European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen of having tried to block him from being reappointed. Breton, one of the most influential figures in Brussels, has taken a strong line against some of the world's largest tech titans, including publicly tussling with Elon Musk over content moderation on social media. President Emmanuel Macron swiftly tapped Stéphane Séjourné, his outgoing foreign minister and a close ally, to succeed Breton as Paris's representative at the EU.

France's powerful European commissioner Thierry Breton on Monday announced he was quitting his role with immediate effect, claiming European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen had sought at the last minute to bar him from her incoming team.

The shock resignation of the bloc's 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 Breton's name forward for France's spot on the EU executive team, and his reappointment to a sizeable role – reflecting the country's weight within the 27-nation bloc – had been taken as a given.

"In the very final stretch of negotiations on the composition of the future College, you asked France to withdraw my name," Breton wrote in a scorching letter to von der Leyen, posted on X.

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