LETTER FROM BRUSSELS
It is in an unprecedented situation. Since September 16, and Thierry Breton’s resignation, France no longer has a European commissioner in Brussels. Stéphane Séjourné, who Emmanuel Macron chose over Breton to serve under Commission President Ursula von der Leyen for her second term in office, will not take up his position until December 1 – at the earliest.
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“Even during the ’empty chair crisis,'” when Charles de Gaulle halted France’s participation in European Economic Community (EEC) Council of Ministers meetings, “France had a commissioner, even two,” as was provided for in European treaties at the time, said Laurent Warlouzet, a professor of European history at Sorbonne University.
Today, France is going about its European business in a perfectly normal way. Macron attends summits of the bloc’s 27 national leaders, ministers attend the Council of European Union and its ambassador to the EU never misses a meeting with his counterparts. Yet currently, around the table of the EU’s College of Commissioners, there is no French member.
Admittedly, the Lithuanian commissioner, Virginijus Sinkevicius, who was in charge of the environment, oceans and fisheries, and Romania’s Adina Valean, responsible for transport, have also quit their jobs, without having yet been replaced. But a French diplomat, a specialist in European affairs, said he “couldn’t remember a major country without a commissioner.” He described the current situation as “another sign of France’s loss of influence on the EU stage.”
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In theory, the treaties are clear: A commissioner is independent, and they neither represent their country nor defend its interests. However, in practice, the diplomat countered, “the French commissioner is tasked with a part of the national interests. That’s the reality.” In any case, there has never been a French commissioner who has not defended the nuclear industry’s or farmers’ interests from Brussels.
When Breton resigned, the question of who to replace him with, pending Séjourné’s appointment as his successor, was not raised. After all, the Elysée keeps a close eye on EU affairs, especially as it is important not to leave any space for Prime Minister Michel Barnier to gain influence. The president and his advisors are in regular contact with their counterparts, while the French permanent representation to the EU in Brussels keeps an eye on matters. Meanwhile, at the Commission, Macron maintains close relations with von der Leyen, who has also agreed to take on Alexandre Adam, one of his former advisors, as her deputy chief of staff.
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Publish date : 2024-11-01 20:00:00
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