French President Emmanuel Macron has proposed Stephane Sejourne, the country's outgoing foreign minister, to replace Thierry Breton as its European commissioner, after Breton announced he would be quitting, claiming EU chief Ursula von der Leyen had asked Paris to withdraw his candidacy.
Breton’s unexpected resignation Monday comes a day before von der Leyen was expected to announce the makeup of the next Commission following June’s European Parliament elections.
Breton has serve as the bloc's internal market commissioner since 2019, and French President Emmanuel Macron had put forward Breton's name to be reappointed, which had been taken as a given.
His portfolio also included defence and space, and he had been tipped to get a promotion to be a commission vice president stewarding industrial growth.
But Breton said that von der Leyen had asked him to step down.
Asked to step down
"In the very final stretch of negotiations on the composition of the future College, you asked France to withdraw my name," Breton wrote in a letter to von der Leyen, posted on X.
He said the request was made "for personal reasons” that had not been discussed directly with him, and that von der Leyen had "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 said.
Macron's office on Monday said that he had proposed Stephane Sejourne, the country's outgoing foreign minister and a close political ally, to replace Breton.
Tense relationship
One of the EU's most influential figures, Breton has had a strained relationship with the von der Leyen during their five years together in the EU's executive arm.
He reportedly angered her by publicly criticising her nomination as the conservative EPP's party candidate to head the Commission for a second term.
Von der Leyen has been pushing member countries to put forward more women commissioners, after most, including France, ignored her request for a choice between one man and one woman candidate.
As the EU's second-biggest member state, France is vying for a major post in the new 27-member Commission.
How the portfolios are divvied up will send a strong signal regarding the EU's political direction and the relative influence of each member state.
Having to replace Breton adds to France’s political tension as Macron’s newly-appointed Prime Minister Michel Barnier is still trying to pull together a new government.
(with newswires)
