As the Commissioner responsible for industry and the internal market, 69-year-old Breton has, among other things, driven for increased defense investments and frequently clashed with international tech giants over new digital rules.
But now he is leaving his post immediately in anger. Breton accuses President von der Leyen of having asked France's President Emmanuel Macron for another candidate instead.
Has been accepted
"You have asked France to withdraw my name – for personal reasons that you have never discussed directly with me – and have offered as a political exchange a much more influential post for France in the next commission", Breton writes in a letter to von der Leyen that he has also posted on X.
"Under these circumstances – further evidence of questionable leadership – I find that I can no longer perform my services in the commission", Breton writes.
The resignation has been received and accepted by von der Leyen, according to one of the commission's spokespersons. EU Commission President von der Leyen announced late on Monday that Breton will be temporarily replaced by Danish Commissioner Margrethe Vestager.
Séjourné replaces
The departure adds to the headache von der Leyen already has in putting together the next EU Commission. Who will do what in it has not yet been presented, partly due to von der Leyen's dissatisfaction with the fact that significantly more men than women have been nominated.
Breton's departure does not help gender equality either, as France has quickly nominated another man as commissioner: outgoing Foreign Minister Stephane Séjourné.
Meanwhile, speculation is already rife about whether Breton could become a candidate for the new French government that former Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier is putting together.
Can undermine
Breton's bitter words risk undermining von der Leyen's continued position. Although she has often received praise for her efforts, there has also been criticism over the years about how she and her closest staff have wanted to control the work of the other commissioners.
Not least in the EU Parliament, her actions will be questioned.
"Chaos around the new EU Commission. First, she says that all sitting commissioners can continue if their country wants. But then she pressures France. Madness if it's true", writes, for example, Danish S-MP Christel Schaldemose on X.
Wiktor Nummelin/TT
Facts: Breton and Séjourné
TT
Thierry Breton (born 1955) has a background as French Finance Minister in a right-wing government 2005–07 and CEO of, among others, telecom giant France Télécom and IT company Atos. He was nominated to the EU Commission in 2019 when France's first proposed candidate, Sylvie Goulard, was not approved by the EU Parliament.
Stephane Séjourné (born 1985) was close to President Emmanuel Macron when he launched his presidential campaign in 2017. He was elected to the EU Parliament in 2019 and became group leader for the liberal RE group 2021–24. In January this year, he took over as France's Foreign Minister in the government under Gabriel Attal, which is currently waiting to be replaced.
