Source: France 24 [French state media]
“France’s powerful European commissioner Thierry Breton on Monday announced he was quitting his role with immediate effect, claiming EU chief Ursula von der Leyen had sought at the last-minute to bar him from her incoming team. The shock resignation of the bloc’s 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. President Emmanuel Macron had put Breton’s name forward for France’s spot on the EU executive team, and his reappointment to a sizeable role – reflecting the country’s weight within the 27-nation bloc – had been taken as a given.” (09/16/24)