Accusations of questionable governance against Ursula von der Leyen

Thierry Breton will no longer occupy a position of European Commissioner in the structure of the new Commission, after Ursula von der Leyen asked Emmanuel Macron to replace the representative of France in the Community Executive. Under these conditions, Breton announced yesterday on the X social network that he is resigning as European Commissioner and published the resignation submitted to President Von der Leyen, whom he accuses of "questionable governance".

According to Breton's allegations, in the final stages of negotiations to form the new college of commissioners, von der Leyen allegedly asked French President Emmanuel Macron to withdraw Breton from the new team, giving France a more influential portfolio in return. This maneuver was not discussed directly with Breton, who labeled the move as further evidence of "dubious governance" and stated that he could no longer continue to exercise his powers under these conditions

Thierry Breton's resignation is the culmination of deep differences between the two that have occurred throughout the Commission's five-year tenure. Breton, a respected technocrat and former economy minister in France, was appointed European commissioner in 2019, in charge of key areas such as the internal market, industry, technology and defence. During his tenure, he heavily promoted the idea of "European sovereignty" in strategic areas such as semiconductors, digital infrastructure and defense policy. Breton was an ardent supporter of a more technologically and industrially independent Europe, promoting the development of its own capabilities in strategic areas such as chip production and cyber security. On the other hand, von der Leyen was more focused on broad themes such as the ecological and digital transition, but with a less nationalistic approach, favoring European collaboration to the detriment of individual sovereignty initiatives.

This divergence of vision was visible at numerous key moments. For example, Breton was instrumental in developing the European Chip Act, an initiative to reduce Europe's dependence on foreign technologies in this crucial sector. However, his approaches, which emphasized European autonomy, were often seen as at odds with Ursula von der Leyen's more global priorities.

Following his resignation, Breton let it be understood that France has not prepared a new proposal for a European commissioner, posting on X a painting with a white sheet, under which it is written "European commissioner".