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Breton’s Resignation Highlights Political Intrigue at the European Commission

Breton’s Resignation Highlights Political Intrigue at the European Commission
05 February 2020, Belgium, Br'ssel: 05.02.2020, Belgium, Brussels: President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen (L) is talking with the EU Commissioner for Internal Market Thierry Breton (R) prior to the weekly meeting of the EU Commission in the Berlaymont, the EU Commission headquarters on February 5, 2020. In the political system of the EU, it mainly performs tasks of the executive, and thus roughly corresponds to the government in a state system. - NO WIRE SERVICE Photo by: Thierry Monasse/picture-alliance/dpa/AP Images

Today’s Top Story

Thierry Breton stepped down as the EU commissioner for the internal market today, using his letter of resignation to criticize European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen’s leadership. The announcement came as a surprise, not least because von der Leyen was set to propose the slate of commissioners for her second term to the European Parliament tomorrow. (AP)

Our Take

It’s not often that political intrigue and maneuvering for influence at the European Union makes for headline news, but Breton’s resignation is noteworthy for a number of reasons. For one thing, he has been an activist member of von der Leyen’s self-described “geopolitical” European Commission, with a portfolio—the internal market—that has put him at the heart of the trade and tech issues driving a lot of global politics over the past five years.

In that capacity he has helped design and lead the union’s efforts to boost its defense industrial sector, impose anti-dumping tariffs against Chinese electric vehicles and regulate Big Tech and social media. As part of the latter initiative, he most recently engaged in a high-profile public confrontation with Elon Musk over disinformation spread on X, formerly Twitter.

But that exchange reportedly created tensions with von der Leyen and Breton’s fellow commissioners, as it was not coordinated with or authorized by the commission. For his part, Breton was known to have been critical of von der Leyen’s management style. So their personal differences almost certainly contributed to Breton’s decision to resign.

His decision is also noteworthy because it comes as von der Leyen is busy assembling her team of commissioners for her second term, with each member state awarded a commissioner’s portfolio. This period often raises the intensity level of intra-EU politics, as member states engage in lobbying, arm-twisting and horse-trading in an effort to secure plum positions of influence and prestige for their national candidates.

French President Emmanuel Macron has already named Stephane Sejourne, the outgoing foreign minister and a staunch Macron loyalist, to replace Breton as France’s nominee for the commission. Macron has not yet publicly stated what portfolio he has in mind for Sejourne, but his office released a statement saying that the French president “has always defended obtaining for France a key portfolio” focused on the issues of industrial and technological sovereignty, and European competitiveness. That suggests he will be trying to secure the same role that Breton held.

Whether Sejourne will be able to fill his predecessor’s shoes is another matter. Before joining the commission, Breton had a long and illustrious career as a business leader in the French and global tech sector, making him a valuable asset for Brussels over the past five years. In the meantime, the intrigue serves as a further reminder of France’s domestic political turmoil and highlights the ways in which that turmoil could affect France’s—and Macron’s—influence in Brussels.

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