Have the article read by OpenAI (Beta). Please note that AI translations may take some time to process.Brussels (dpa) – The French candidate for the next European Commission and current EU Internal Market Commissioner Thierry Breton resigned in a surprise move on Monday by posting a letter on social media platform X.
In his letter, Breton claimed that European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen asked France to nominate another person in exchange for “an allegedly more influential portfolio for France” in the Commission.
Breton, who is the incumbent French Commissioner, said this “political trade-off” with France was made “for personal reasons that in no instance you have discussed directly with me.”
The French candidate, who publicly criticised von der Leyen’s leadership during the European Parliament elections in June, said this was “further testimony to questionable governance” in the Commission.
The resignation comes as von der Leyen is preparing to unveil her new leadership team to the European Parliament on Tuesday.
The process has already been delayed as von der Leyen wrangles with EU countries over policy portfolios, trying to balance geographic and political factors.
Complicating matters further is von der Leyen’s request for EU member states to nominate a man and a woman for the Commission roles in pursuit of gender parity among her European Commissioners. Most EU member states defied that request. (16 September)
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