“I cannot say it because it’s a sort of open secret but yes, it became clear at some point that the name [of Thierry Breton] was part of the negotiation,” a French official with knowledge of the talks said on condition they remain anonymous.
The rumor that Macron would eventually drop Breton circulated for weeks, if not months within Brussels circles. Calls had intensified between Macron and von der Leyen last week, amid fears in Paris that France’s portfolio was being watered down, before Séjourné was swapped in for Breton, according to three French officials who were granted anonymity because they were not allowed to comment on the matter.
In exchange for Breton’s head, two French officials said, Paris had pushed for control of key European policy departments, also known as “Directorates-General,” which are how commissioners wield their authority.
Those include administrative powers related to competition, research and innovation, trade, economy and finance.
Breton, before he quit, was internal market commissioner. In his resignation letter on Monday, Breton accused the Commission president of removing him in “a political trade off [for] an allegedly more influential portfolio.”
Von der Leyen is expected to unveil her College of Commissioners, made up of the president herself and 26 commissioners (one from each member country), on Tuesday having already postponed it once in order to secure greater gender balance on the team.
