The European Commissioner-designate, Thierry Breton, slammed the door on the European Commission on Monday 16 September, accusing the re-elected President of the Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, of calling for his head from the French President, Emmanuel Macron, who then immediately nominated Stéphane Séjourné, former President of the Renew Europe group in the European Parliament and resigning Minister of Foreign Affairs, as his candidate.
In a letter that he himself has made public, Mr Breton makes no secret of his indignation. “A few days ago, in the very final stretch of negotiations on the composition of the future College, you asked France to withdraw my name – for personal reasons that in no instance you have discussed directly with me – and offered, as a political trade-off, an allegedly more influential portfolio for France in the future College. You will now be proposed a different candidate”, he accused Ms von der Leyen.
And to add: “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”.
To see Mr Breton’s letter of resignation: https://aeur.eu/f/dfy
When questioned, the European Commission, through its deputy spokeswoman Arianna Podestà, said that Ms von der Leyen had taken note of Mr Breton’s resignation. The Commission neither confirmed nor denied any of the allegations made by the former European Commissioner for Internal Market. It has repeatedly stressed the importance of maintaining the “confidential” nature of the discussions with the EU Heads of State or Government on the composition and remit of the future College.
It was Mr Breton’s choice to publish the letter, “it was our choice to keep the discussions confidential”, said Ms Podestà, claiming that it was more important to maintain trust between European leaders.
At this stage, no decision has been taken on the transfer of the portfolio of the resigning Commissioner to another member of the Commission.
A hyperactive European Commissioner, Mr Breton carried a lot of weight in the ‘von der Leyen I’ Commission, and could boast successes such as the production of Covid-19 vaccines in the EU and the introduction of the European framework for digital giants (DSA/DMA).
Officially reappointed to his post by Mr Macron at the end of July (see EUROPE 13464/24), he is paying for his frontal attacks via X, which broke the trust placed in him by Ms von der Leyen. In March, he commented with irony on the weak support Mr von der Leyen had received from the European People’s Party (EPP) when she was nominated by the European Christian Democrats for re-election as President of the Commission. In April, he joined forces with other European Commissioners to prevent the appointment of Mr Pieper, a German Christian Democrat, as EU SME Envoy (see EUROPE 13392/23).
The French authorities quickly turned the page. After thanking Mr Breton for his work in Europe over the past five years, the French President, in agreement with Prime Minister Michel Barnier, proposed the candidature of Stéphane Séjourné, who, according to a source at the Élysée, “meets all the required criteria” and whose “European commitment will enable him to fully support the sovereignty agenda” that France is pursuing.
And to add: “The President of the Republic has always defended the idea of France obtaining a key portfolio of European Commissioners, focused on the issues of industrial and technological sovereignty and European competitiveness. This has been the thrust of all the contacts he has had with the President of the European Commission since she was elected by the European Parliament”.
During a visit to Armenia, Mr Séjourné said, via X, that he was “convinced” it would be possible to rise to the challenges facing the continent of Europe “across party lines”. Together with Ms von der Leyen, “we are now committed to convincing the European Parliament of an ambitious agenda and renewed governance” he added, announcing that he would be coming to Strasbourg on Wednesday to exchange views with MEPs.
The French delegation of the S&D group in the European Parliament described Mr Breton’s resignation as a “very bad signal” and condemned, in a press release, the hasty decision to appoint Mr Séjourné “without the slightest consultation”. In its view, Mr Macron should have appointed “a woman from the left” to help Ms von der Leyen achieve gender parity within the College, counterbalance the EPP’s domination of the Commission and take account of the result of the recent French legislative elections, won by the left-wing coalition.
Ms von der Leyen will hold talks with the heads of the political groups. On Monday evening in Strasbourg, the re-elected President of the Commission was due to hold talks with the heads of the European Parliament’s political groups – Germany’s Manfred Weber (EPP), Spain’s Iratxe García Pérez (S&D) and France’s Valérie Hayer (Renew Europe) – who form the pro-European coalition behind her re-election, in the margins of the European Parliament’s plenary session. On Tuesday morning at 9.00, she will discuss the structure and portfolios of the future College with the Conference of Presidents (CoP) of the European Parliament’s political groups. There was no confirmation on Monday afternoon that she would be holding a press conference to present her future team.
The re-elected President of the Commission wants the process of setting up the College to be completed as quickly as possible, with the hearings of the Commissioners-designate to be held by MEPs in October.
However, Slovenia had not yet officially submitted the name of its Commissioner-designate, Marta Kos, due to the lack of a green light from the relevant parliamentary committee in the Slovenian Parliament, which is itself presided by the political opposition (see EUROPE 13478/24).
Through its deputy spokeswoman, Delphine Colard, the European Parliament indicated on Monday that it was ready to begin the public hearings process. The timetable will be clearer once the European Parliament has received all the necessary documents, she said, citing the curricula vitae, declarations of financial interests and mission letters for each Commissioner-designate, as well as the request for consultation from the Council of the EU including the names of all the European Commissioners-designate. (Original version in French by Mathieu Bion)