Thierry Breton has resigned as European Commissioner, blaming von der Leyen’s “questionable governance”, after being snubbed during negotiations between Brussels and Paris in a move that is sure to delight his nemesis Elon Musk. Euronews has more.
Thierry Breton, the powerful European Commissioner in charge of the internal market, abruptly resigned on Monday, claiming that Ursula von der Leyen had pressured France, his home country, to submit another candidate to replace him “for personal reasons”.
Breton announced the move in a letter published on social platform X, saying he became aware of this alleged lobbying “a few days ago”, while the Commission President was putting the finishing touches to her new executive.
The Frenchman was expected to receive an important portfolio in the upcoming Commission, having been rumoured for an executive vice presidency. But in his letter, he claims Paris was promised an even loftier position in exchange for ditching his bid.
“A few days ago, in the very last stretch of negotiations on the composition of the future of the College, you asked France to withdraw my name – for personal reasons that in no instance you have discussed directly with me – and offered, as a political trade-off, an allegedly more influential portfolio for France in the future College,” Breton writes.
“You will now be proposed a different candidate.”
Breton then says it was an “honour” to have worked the past five years as a Commissioner for the internal market “above national and party interests.”
“However, in light of these developments – further testimony to questionable governance – I have concluded that I can no longer exercise my duties in the College,” he adds. “I am therefore resigning from my position as European Commissioner, effective immediately.” …
The Frenchman had acquired a strong profile in Brussels after playing a key role in the bloc’s production of COVID-19 vaccines, the industrial ramp-up to provide Ukraine with more military support and, most notably, the regulatory push to rein in the excesses of Big Tech and artificial intelligence.
But he had also become a divisive character in the city. His letter to Elon Musk in August ahead of the billionaire’s interview with Donald Trump was decried as an assault against freedom of expression and a blatant case of power overreach.
I would like to express my deepest gratitude to my colleagues in the College, Commission services, MEPs, Member States, and my team.
— Thierry Breton (@ThierryBreton) September 16, 2024
Together, we have worked tirelessly to advance an ambitious EU agenda.
It has been an honour & privilege to serve the common European interestpic.twitter.com/wQ4eeHUnYu
Worth reading in full.
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Snigger. All politicians end in failure.
Greet the new French EU Commissioner. Same as the old French EU Commissioner.
Perhaps he could turn his attention to French politics. I’m sure they need an extra spanner in the works.
Always helps if another tool becomes available.
“Live by the sword — — — ——.”
Meanwhile, Huw Edwards is awaiting his fate in court. Shall we bet on if he’s going to just get a suspended sentence because all the jails are full?
Ha! Would you Adam and Eve it? But send an anti-immigration meme or print some stickers and you’re going down! I knew all the judges are nonce-sympathizers but….100% bloody predictable;
”Huw Edwards is sentenced to six months’ imprisonment, suspended for two years.
Chief magistrate Paul Goldspring says his crimes are “extremely serious offences” but Edwards doesn’t present a risk or danger to children.
The sentence includes a sex offender treatment programme and 25 rehabilitation sessions.”
https://news.sky.com/story/huw-edwards-latest-former-bbc-newsreader-faces-sentencing-for-making-indecent-images-of-children-13213565
As you say Mogs – entirely predictable. Of course Kneel has form when dealing with paedo criminals so Edwards must be chuffed to little mintballs that somebody put a word in for him.
All these protestors and ‘meme terrorists’ also aren’t a danger to kids, nor were they found guilty of hoarding filthy images of child abuse on their phones, but they are deemed a danger to the establishment, clearly, hence why the ‘two-tier justice’ system must go disproportionately hard on these people. What is the point in a justice system if they can’t even keep the dangerous deviants banged up off the streets but instead want to criminalize people for being patriots, no danger to the public whatsoever, or opposing government policy? It’s just tyranny, is what it is. 100% unjust, and it’s just going to keep on happening. Did they sentence that 81yr old man yet for saying words?? Mental
And the judiciary evidently has a soft spot for paedos so I’d be wanting to check their hard drives! It’s just all so grim.
The Uk judicial system is badly broken. There is something seriously wrong in the UK. Is it too late to stop the rot? Many believe so.
It needs a new generation, that can be bothered.
That used to be an easy task.
Although it is clear (Daily Mail article as reference) that Huw Edwards wasn’t just an entirely passive recipient of this stuff, and in my opinion is deserving of a gaol sentence, I’d rather they used the space for violent criminals.
Yes but they’re not even doing that are they? They’re letting them out early instead, to make room for all those ‘far right extremists’. Let’s see if that Labour councilor even gets sent down. And the case of the two Pakistanis in Manchester airport seems to have dropped off a cliff. I think ”violent criminals” pretty much covers those scumbags, don’t you?
Yes you are right.
You mean election interference in an ally whose nuclear weapons guarantee your safety
If Russia invades France I’m sure the USAians will happily nuke them there.
The sole real-world purpose of “nuclear weapons” is to be safe against nuclear blackmail by states which own nukes and even that’s somewhat questionable as the only “military purpose” of these device is to commit war crimes, specifically, firebombing of large cities to kill masses of civilians. That’s not only a war crime, it’s also spectacularly useless as the US air force – as last of the inveterates – experimentally proved by flattenting every man-made structure in several counties in south-east Asia with the outcome of the USA hastily abandoning its former South-Vietnamese allies with something strongly resembling a tail between the legs.
Regardless of that, France has not only its own nukes but also one of the most aggressive strategies for using them, namely, a nuclear first strike in response to a conventional attack.
Blimey! Things must be really bad if a Commissioner is voluntarily getting off the gravy train.
I couldn’t eat another thing…
He is 69 and his pension will be spectacular. And if he was involved in the EU’s secret and very dubious contract with Pfizer …
Maybe Worsula Von de Lyin ain’t all bad after all.
No. She comes from the same nest of vipers…
Why did the viper viper nose?
Cos she was clearing the Breton bogie out.
Petulance is a national characteristic
Samuel Johnson peppered the English lexicon with memorable epigrams. One of those was “Patriotism is the last refuge of the scoundrel.”
Perhaps a modern adaptation could be “Public office is the last refuge of the scoundrel”; Breton seems to fit the bill. And it’s a big club.
Quit? Or was pushed?
And not a vote in sight …. either for, or against.
Members of the European Commissions are proposed by the (elected) governments of the EU member states and then voted into office (or not) by the EU parliament which is – in turn – directly elected by the citizens of all these member states.