Thierry Breton, the Internal Market Commissioner who is also responsible for technology and defence, announced his resignation from the European Commission on Monday 16 September, in a final move aimed at calling into question the legitimacy of Ursula von der Leyen.
Thierry Breton had been a European Commissioner for five years in the College of President Ursula von der Leyen. He was reappointed to this position by French President Emmanuel Macron this summer.
“You asked France to withdraw my name – for personal reasons that you never discussed directly with me – and offered, as a political compromise, a portfolio supposedly more influential for France in the future college,” wrote Thierry Breton in a letter addressed to Ursula von der Leyen and published on X.
Ursula von der Leyen has called on member states to prioritise the appointment of women to achieve parity in her next College of Commissioners.
But Thierry Breton, in his resignation letter, accuses him of proposing to exchange names for more attractive portfolios.
It is unclear whether her call for the name change is based on parity issues or differences of opinion. And it remains unclear whether France will appoint a woman to replace Thierry Breton. Former French candidate for the leadership of the Greens, Marie Toussaint, asked Michel Barnier's government to appoint a woman on X.
Thierry Breton has often opposed Ursula von der Leyen in recent months. In March, he openly criticized her candidacy as the European People's Party (EPP) lead candidate in the campaign for the European elections.
With the support of other commissioners, he asked her in April to review her decision to appoint Markus Pieper as envoy for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), suggesting that her choice of a colleague affiliated with the German Christian Democratic Union (CDU/EPP) was a political manoeuvre.
Thierry Breton then urged Elon Musk, owner of X, to comply with EU law on online content moderation (Digital Services Act/DSA) ahead of Elon Musk's live interview with U.S. presidential candidate Donald Trump on August 12.
The Commission later confirmed that the decision was taken without prior consultation with the College of Commissioners, and a Source linked to Ursula von der Leyen's office told EURACTIV that it “had never been so angry” for discrediting the DSA application. Civil society organizations have also strongly criticized Thierry Breton.
Ursula von der Leyen's name change request, which Thierry Breton suspects is a political strategy, is “further evidence of questionable governance,” he wrote in his resignation letter.
Along with his letter, he also released a frame with a blank canvas titled “my official portrait for the next mandate of the European Commission”.
It is not yet known whether Thierry Breton will join the new French government, which is expected to be announced this week.
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