Macron ended up proposing his protégé Stéphane Séjourné, who is set to be appointed as an executive vice president in the new Commission. On paper, several commissioners are meant to report to Séjourné in his new role, but Séjourné will have direct control over only one of the Commission’s directorates general — known as DGs. Breton was in charge of three DGs as he oversaw the internal market, tech and telecoms, and defense.
“My commissioner’s portfolio has been divided between five commissioners!” is how Breton put it in the Le Monde interview.
Against ’empress’ Ursula
Breton, who had turbulent relations with von der Leyen at the EU executive, warned that the Commission president for her second mandate has centralized power in her hands to promote a pro-German agenda.
“In some Brussels newspapers, Ursula von der Leyen is described as ‘Europe’s empress’,” Breton said, referring to POLITICO.
“This is embarrassing for Europe, which was not built to have an empress or an emperor. Europe is about balance, serving the general European interest, not that of a single country,” Breton said. “If this balance is broken, the European project is in danger.”
Breton argued that Germany was taking advantage of the situation to exert more power in Brussels and warned that von der Leyen, who is German, could use its power in Brussels to serve Berlin’s interests to the detriment of other countries. “As Germany is not doing well [economy-wise], we have to be careful that all European policies are not diverted to its benefit,” as he put it.