Breton steps down as France's EU commissioner, drops explosive resignation letter criticising von der Leyen

Highlights Frenchman criticises EU Commission chief Resigns as new EU executive body team pulled together France names foreign minister Sejourne as its new candidate Brussels: An influential French member of the European Union's powerful executive branch resigned on Monday, calling into question the leadership of European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen just as she tries to assemble a new team for the next five years. Thierry Breton, a French business executive and commissioner for the EU's vast internal market who recently clashed with tech billionaire Elon Musk, suggested that von der Leyen had gone behind his back to get another French official named in his place to the next commission. In a post on social media platform X containing his resignation letter to the EU's top official, Breton said that von der Leyen's move was “further testimony to questionable governance -– I have to conclude that I can no longer exercise my duties in the college”. Acting last month without von der Leyen's approval, he took to X to warn Musk of possible “amplification of harmful content” by broadcasting an interview with former US President Donald Trump.