Thierry Breton 1-0 Ursula von der Leyen.
The EU’s internal market chief grinned Tuesday morning after helping get rid of the European Commission president’s controversial pick to be the EU’s representative for small- and medium-sized enterprises.
“As for all Commission appointments, transparency, collegiality and meritocracy in the selection process are vital for the credibility of the post and of the institution as a whole,” he told POLITICO’s Brussels Playbook.
The French commissioner was in the vanguard of an internal European Commission rebellion against von der Leyen, after the EU appointed a German party ally of the Commission chief to the senior business role.
Breton added wryly Tuesday morning that he hoped “this important position for SMEs will be filled as soon as possible.”
The revolt against von der Leyen, spearheaded by Breton and three other European commissioners, flared up last week as the European election campaign intensifies. Breton, a liberal ally of French President Emmanuel Macron, has fired multiple shots at his boss von der Leyen, a German conservative, in recent weeks.
MEP Markus Pieper decided to step down from his role as SME envoy hours before he was supposed to start in the role. Despite having already signed the contract, Pieper had a change of heart following significant pushback from both the Commission and the European Parliament. During the selection process, two other shortlisted candidates for the post — both women — had reportedly received higher scores on tests.
EU lawmakers and commissioners from von der Leyen’s top team criticized her for what they said amounted to engaging in party politics with the appointment.
Pieper, who belongs to Germany’s Christian Democratic Union like von der Leyen, criticized Breton during an interview Monday with German outlet Handelsblatt in which he announced he was withdrawing from the role.
Pieper said Breton’s questioning of the selection process was inappropriate and driven solely by political motives.
“I successfully underwent a very demanding selection procedure. But the fact that Commissioner Breton, of all people, who has been responsible for SMEs and cutting red tape up to now, is now calling the procedure into question is bad form,” Pieper complained.
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