For Thierry Breton, the week will be decisive. Only a few weeks after the European Parliament rejected Sylvie Goulard's candidacy for the European Commission, the former Minister of the Economy must be heard on Tuesday morning by the Parliamentary Legal Committee, before a hearing on Thursday before the commission. in connection with its portfolio (industrial policy, internal market, digital, defense and space). Crucially speaking, while Emmanuel Macron's choice of Thierry Breton's name was criticized by some of the opposition, who pointed out the risk of conflicts of interest because of the candidate's position, currently CEO of Atos, IT service provider of the European Union.
On this question of conflicts of interest, Thierry Breton took the lead. In a ten-page statement, he explains that he has sold all of his Atos shares and is giving up his retirement. He also promises to recuse himself if he has to make a decision concerning his former business.
MEPs divided
Insufficient proposals for part of the opposition. The French MEP insubordinate Manon Aubry is concerned for example the weight of Atos in defense or artificial intelligence, areas that the French commissioner will be responsible.
INTERVIEW - Thierry Breton candidate for the European Commission: "Macron plays with fire", denounces Manon Aubry
Others are seduced by his profile as an engineer from the private sector, like the boss of the Belgian Greens Philippe Lamberts, delighted that Thierry Breton is not enarque. "He does not have this arrogance of the French technostructure that does more than irritate in the European circles," he says at the microphone of Europe 1. "And Thierry Breton has a round jovial side that will make him nice, I think, in the eyes of many European colleagues, it is not the French who brings it back, and it feels good ".
On the right too, the tone has changed. The European conservatives, who have dropped Sylvie Goulard, have a better look at this former minister Jacques Chirac. It must be said that Christian Jacob, the head of the Republicans, made a few phone calls.