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Sylvie Goulard during her second hearing before the European Parliament, on October 10, 2019 in Brussels. Kenzo TRIBOUILLARD / AFP

The French candidate for the European Commission Sylvie Goulard is no longer in the running. Members of the parliamentary committees assessing his candidacy voted on Thursday, October 10 against his appointment to the portfolio of the domestic market.

With our office in Brussels,

82 votes against Sylvie Goulard , 29 votes in favor only and one abstention. They were 112 deputies to vote, the 112 members of the parliamentary committees who for the second time auditioned Sylvie Goulard on Thursday. She finally only had the support of her political family, the centrists of "Renew" plus a few scattered voices.

In the end, the French candidate is not considered fit to occupy the large portfolio that Ursula von der Leyen had attributed to him around the iconic domestic market. It is not his skills and his European commitment that are in question, they have been recognized by some of his opponents.

Ethical question

After a first very heated hearing on October 2 in front of the European parliamentarians, after written answers to a complementary questionnaire deemed insufficient, Sylvie Goulard was entitled to an oral catch-up this Thursday morning, very focused on the affairs that affect her.

What cost him his job is first and foremost the ethical question around his very well paid work for the American Berggruen Foundation when she was a MEP. Above all, the case of fictitious jobs of parliamentary assistants of the Modem will have weighed too much. Sylvie Goulard repeated this Thursday morning that she would resign in case she was sentenced, but that was not a question in case of simple indictment.

Macron expects " explanations " from Ursula von der Leyen

This is a serious setback for the French government which will have to quickly submit a replacement application to Ursula von der Leyen. Emmanuel Macron said he needed " explanations " from the future president of the Commission.

" I suggested three names to President von der Leyen, " the French head of state told the press. She told me, "I want to work with Sylvie Goulard." [...] She assured me: "I will call the chairpersons of parliamentary groups to ask them". After which, she said to me: "It's good, it suits them". I do not understand how, when the chair of the appointed commission has a discussion with the three group presidents and [they] agree on something, it can move like that. So I need to understand. "

Astute to be "very relaxed", Emmanuel Macron guaranteed to have warned Ursula von der Leyen on the risks which hung on the candidacy of Sylvie Goulard. The French president is now questioning " what has been played resentment, perhaps small ."

(With AFP)