France nominates Stéphane Séjourné as new European Commissioner candidate following Thierry Breton’s resignation

France has named on Monday Foreign Minister Stephane Sejourne as its new candidate for the next European Commission as the incumbent, Thierry Breton, announced his sudden resignation.

Breton accused Commission President Ursula von der Leyen of “questionable governance” and that she asked France to replace him for “personal reasons.”

Von der Leyen’s office has declined to comment on Thierry Breton’s resignation. Meanwhile, a Commission spokesperson indicated that von der Leyen still aims to present the proposed new Commission team by Tuesday.

Breton, a prominent figure in the European Commission for the past five years, is renowned for his significant role in shaping EU regulations on Big Tech and his public disputes with tech billionaire Elon Musk.

However, Breton and von der Leyen’s relationship deteriorated in recent months. The liberal French commissioner reportedly angered von der Leyen by publicly criticising her re-nomination as the European People’s Party (EPP) candidate for a second term as Commission President, according to EU officials.