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LAST UPDATE | 16 Sep 2024
FRANCE’S THIERRY BRETON has announced he is quitting the European Commission with immediate effect, claiming EU chief Ursula von der Leyen had asked Paris to withdraw his candidacy for the incoming executive.
The shock resignation of the bloc’s powerful internal market commissioner comes a day before von der Leyen was expected to unveil the makeup of her next commission, in the wake of EU-wide elections in June.
French President Emmanuel Macron had put forward Breton’s name for France’s spot on the commission, and his reappointment to a major role – reflecting the country’s weight within the 27-nation EU – had been taken as a given.
“In the very final stretch of negotiations on the composition of the future College, you asked France to withdraw my name,” the bloc’s internal market commissioner wrote in a letter to von der Leyen, posted on X. “I am therefore resigning from my position as European Commissioner, effective immediately.”
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 interest🇪🇺 pic.twitter.com/wQ4eeHUnYu
“Over the past five years, I have relentlessly striven to uphold and advance the common European good, above national and party interest. It has been an honour,” he said.
“However, in light of these latest developments – further testimony to questionable governance – I have to conclude that I can no longer exercise my duties in the College.”
The 69-year-old was seen by Paris as a key counterweight to Berlin’s influence at the heart of the EU.
Despite Breton criticising her governance, Taoiseach Simon Harris has thanked von der Leyen for her “meticulous work” on forming the incoming commission.
The European Commission President briefed Harris on the emerging composition of the commission in a phone call this evening, ahead of the expected announcement tomorrow.
As a spokesperson for the Taoiseach: “The Taoiseach and President Von der Leyen have spoken half a dozen times in recent weeks about the incoming commission and they have remained in close contact,” a spokesperson for Harris said.
“The Taoiseach is happy with the overview he was given this evening and thanked the President for the meticulous work she has put into commission formation.”
How the 27-member commission’s portfolios are divvied up tomorrow will send a strong signal regarding the EU’s political direction and the relative influence of each member state – after EU parliament elections marked by far right gains.
Von der Leyen has been leaning on member countries to put forward more women to make up the bloc’s executive arm, after most – including Ireland – ignored her request for a choice between one man and one woman candidate.
The announcement of new roles was delayed last week over formal processes that had yet to be done in Slovenia.
It’s understood that the Irish government is hopeful it will retain some type of financial portfolio but it won’t be clear until von der Leyen’s official announcement.
With reporting from Jane Moore
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It’s unsettling the way an organisation originally designed for fair trade amongst member states appears to be gone in a different direction
@Paul1st: It was never intended to be just a ‘fair trade’ organisation. The preamble to the Treaty of Rome refers to ‘ever closer union’.
It was intended to foster peace and prosperity in Europe following the horrors of the Second World War, and that is exactly what it has done.
@Brendan O’Brien: ah Brendan will you stop with the facts, they get in the way of an agenda
@Brendan O’Brien: De Gaulle never intended it to be only fair trade, it’s well known that he wanted to go forward with European unity to avoid any further conflict. I don’t know why people keep bribing the fair trade part. It only started as fair trade since none of its members were ready to give some of their sovereignty.
@Brendan O’Brien: I’m not sure what supporting Israel’s genocide has to do with European peace or prosperity. It does feel like a different direction.
@Brendan O’Brien: you think so ? A success ?
Good riddance
@Paul1st: No it isn’t and just take a straw poll of the Irish population on it. When you have 27 different countries comprising for greater overall prosperity you will always have naysayers and troublemakers trying to bring the whole thing down. Working out great for the UK isn’t it?
UVDL overstepping her remit, yet again.
She’s attempting to force countries to put forward women for the roles. Discrimination is never positive.
@AnthonyK: She requested (not forced) each member state to nominate a woman and a man.
@AnthonyK: was just thinking the same. whatever happened to best candidate for the job regardless of sex. I held my multi national bank that I work for to account after the advertised a job internally in our Irish office and stated in the job spec that females only to apply.
@Brendan O’Brien: The problem is that it starts with a request then it becomes a EU directive. We need the best for each roles, women, men, doesn’t matter. Parity is always a failure, it’s impossible to achieve.
@Alex: All EU Commissioners should be elected by the Electorate same time as EU elections.
@David Murray: Sure but the information about that isn’t great so not sure if people would actually know what they would vote for.
@Brendan O’Brien: And if u didn’t do that u were not to her liking
@Brendan O’Brien: same thing with her don’t fool yourself
A person, basically
Her record is littered with political gaffes that others have to undo and here we go again
The EU needs restructuring back to what it was originally formed for, an economic block of countries, not a united states of Europe under a bureaucratic cabal .
Seems like a bit of a democratic coup the way things are panning out
The EU administration has become a bloated elephant that has utterly failed at controlling illegal immigration. This is why the likes of Germany, Italy and France have lurched to the right, because the EU bureaucrats think they know what’s best!!!
@Mike Dunne: ya, ya ya. . change the record .
@Mike Dunne: you confuse a few things. It’s not the EU that forced Germany, or any nation, to take in any amount of migrants. It’s Germany itself that by constitutional law, must take in migrants. Ireland, who does not have any constitutional obligations to let immigrants in, choses to take them in by means of humanitarian obligations. Not constitutional. It’s hardly the EU who knows better. It’s your local politicians incl SF who are not particularly right wing atm.
The WEF gathering at Davos every year & the current set up of the European Commission shows why people in various countries are turning to extremism. Europe is now run by a few to enrich a few & this latest corruption between Van Der Lyen & Macron only highlights it. The EU is tearing apart, gone are the days of an Economic Trading Block that helped each State. Now the aim is to have a United States of Europe run by the likes of Van Der Lyen & Macron, that want a European army, sending young conscripts to what ever war zone suits their agenda & their lobbying friends in the arms industry. Unless there is a reset of the EU, it will collapse pretty soon, Immigration will collapse it anyways, even Germany now closing their borders, too little too late though.
The EU is fast becoming a poor man’s version of the United Nations, where the so called big countries call the shots
Ursula Von Der Leyen the Germans military hardware sales rep, and the Israeli representative in the EU
@Chaotic State: If we were big we would call the shots. Maybe we do.
When Ursula von Der leyn is mentioned two things come to mind, the hind leg of a dog or the top corner of a goalpost,
At 69 years old, it is time for him to do something else .
Jealous of his hair, me thinks.
And yes here we go again.
Not fit for purpose that thing
Trump posible one of the most powerful men in the 78 years old two attempts on his life helped to storm congress done a term, horrible man and still he rolls, how do you stop this guy, Taylor Swift has to be scared of him, only posting this here because someone mentioned the age to do a government job.
@Phillip Smyth: You stop him by voting for Harris.
@Phillip Smyth: you left out about him getting p’d on in a Russian
Von der leyen is an embarrassment to the EU with her corrupt leadership. Another embarassment is our leader Harris doing his usual ar** licking to influence her and her cronies.
A chancer if ever their was.
Stuff of egos – we are living through a war and we have this going on at the top table?
A gynecologist has a particular expertise, being Empress of Europe looks like a bit of a stretch.
69 is a breeze they do anything just go in and out doors.
I would question Harris position as best boy at school attitude, while experienced and known fair politician quit and having an issue how it’s managed. Harris the best boy want some more crumbs.
@Dominic Leleu: and Michael Martin worse again. Martin and Harris the two best boys in the class as far as the EU goes !!
The Germans, seem to think no one would notice, two world wars and a banking crisis 2008-2011 and they finally had total control of EU, been downhill ever since, and this political charade which is the E.U. is showing its true face more and more. Bribed our leaders long time ago with promises of unbridled prosperity, but at what cost Ireland? at what cost?
Less of two evils.
Need to put the brakes on the far right
have your say