French EU commissioner resigns, accuses commission chief of undermining him

By Nur Asena Erturk

France’s European Commissioner for the Internal Market Thierry Breton on Monday resigned and accused the head of the European Commission of undermining him.

In an open letter to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, Breton said that on July 24, von der Leyen asked the member states to nominate candidates for the 2024-2029 term and that he was nominated by French President Emmanuel Macron as “France’s official candidate for a second mandate.”

“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,” Breton said.

He said that von der Leyen had “offered, as a political trade-off, an allegedly more influential portfolio for France in the future College.”

Breton went on to announce his resignation “in light of these latest developments.”

France must now nominate another candidate.

The process of nominating candidates did not go as von der Leyen wanted. In a letter sent to member states on July 25, she said she would pursue gender balance.

She asked each member to propose two names, one male and one female, instead of one, but only a few countries put forward female candidates.

Meanwhile, von der Leyen postponed the announcement of portfolios to mid-September following Slovenia’s decision to change a candidate, which needs approval from the Slovenian parliament.