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Macron Rejects Ex-French Economy Minister Breton as Possible EU Commission Head

BRUSSELS (Sputnik) - French President Emmanuel Macron does not want to see European Commissioner for Internal Market and former French Economy Minister Thierry Breton as the new European Commission president, an American newspaper reported on Thursday, citing people familiar with the matter.
Sputnik
On Wednesday, the newspaper noted, refering to high-ranking EU officials, that Breton would like to replace Ursula von der Leyen as the European Commission president. To do this, he would need to enlist the support of all European leaders and get an authorization from the European Parliament, the paper said.

"Breton will never become the next Commission president," a senior French official told the newspaper, adding that "Macron doesn't want it."

The French president's unwillingness to accept Breton as the new European Commission chief may be linked to the previous incident with Breton's former company, international IT giant Atos, the official was cited as saying by the magazine. In 2019, after Macron nominated him as the European commissioner for internal market, Breton had to leave his post as Atos' CEO and sell all his shares in the company as the European community feared a conflict of interest.
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Moreover, a French politician connected with the Renew Europe — the European Parliament's liberal political group that is allied with Macron's Renaissance party — has little chance of ever leading the European Commission due to France's already huge influence, the French official stated.
In addition, Paris is likely to nominate a new candidate for a European commissioner in 2024 to replace Breton, the interviewee added.
Breton is becoming an increasingly influential figure in the European Union as he has been dealing with pressing issues, from vaccines against COVID-19 to procuring artillery shells for Ukraine, the paper reported on Wednesday. In addition, he was one of the people who outlined the new EU digital market policy, the media said.
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However, appointing a Frenchman to the key position in the European Commission could cause dissatisfaction among other EU member states, the newspaper noted. Moreover, Breton may also allegedly cause concerns in the United States as he is less willing to cooperate than von der Leyen and takes a tough stance against US digital companies.
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