Macron Names France’s Top Diplomat to Replace Breton in EU Role
(Bloomberg) -- French President Emmanuel Macron cut loose his outspoken commissioner to the European Union, Thierry Breton, in a bid to secure a more influential role for his country in Brussels.
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Breton had been a key figure in the current commission and as internal market chief he helped ensure that Macron had a hand in shaping the EU’s response to the growing power of US tech giants.
But his confrontational style saw him repeatedly clashing with Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and as the German was finalizing the lineup for her second term. French officials were concerned Breton might not land a meaty enough portfolio, according to a person familiar with the discussions, who spoke on the condition of anonymity.
So Macron tapped Stephane Sejourne, France’s outgoing foreign minister and a close ally to the president in his Renew political group, to replace Breton, who made no attempt to conceal his frustration.
Breton quit on Monday morning, aiming a volley of criticism at the commission president in his resignation letter.
Breton said that von der Leyen asked France to withdraw his name as a nominee “for personal reasons that in no instance have you discussed directly with me,” and in return France would get a more influential role in the EU executive. Her request was “further testimony to questionable governance” of the commission under her leadership, he added.
The surprise move complicates von der Leyen’s task to begin the new five-year term, likely delaying the planned Nov. 1 start.
Macron Ally
Sejourne, 39, has been a close ally of Macron since he worked for him at the French finance ministry a decade ago. Sejourne played a key role in Macron’s first presidential election campaign in 2017, as a representative of the left-wing branch of Macron’s then newly created party.
He was elected to the EU parliament in 2019, quickly becoming a key player in EU politics as Macron’s man in Brussels. Sejourne became the head of the centrist Renew group in the EU parliament in 2021, before taking over the helm of Macron’s Renaissance party in 2022.
Sejourne kept his local politics hat when he was appointed earlier this year to be France’s youngest-ever foreign minister in the modern republic.
In a written statement from his office, Macron expressed his thanks to Breton for making a “major contribution to advancing a European sovereignty policy in the fields of digital technology.”
A commission spokesperson said that von der Leyen thanks Breton for his work but declined to address any deliberations regarding his role, calling them confidential. The commission didn’t immediately say who would take over his duties at the commission.
Von der Leyen was expected to announce her new commission Tuesday in Strasbourg. She was already struggling to put forward a gender-balanced commission, a process that was causing delays.
That timeline was under pressure after the Slovenian opposition party led by populist Janez Jansa delayed the confirmation of its commission candidate.
Breton’s departure could also further complicate plans to boost EU competitiveness, as he was in charge of the portfolio covering the bloc’s industrial policy and was an advocate of joint borrowing for areas including defense, another of his policy areas.
Breton served as the bloc’s industry chief and also was the chief enforcer of the new Digital Services Act, which regulates content moderation on social-media platforms. As such, he often tangled with Elon Musk’s X and Meta Platforms Inc. Previously, he was CEO of French software maker Atos and France Telecom, France’s finance minister and a bestselling sci-fi writer.
Over his five years in charge of the commission’s internal market unit, the 69-year-old has overseen the roll-out of a string of landmark digital regulations, including the content moderation rulebook the DSA, the Artificial Intelligence Act, and the chips act.
--With assistance from Gian Volpicelli and Jorge Valero.
(Updates second paragraph to include France’s bid to secure an influential EU portfolio.)
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