2023-07-14 17:10:00
DISPATCH — The European Commission “sees no reason to reconsider” the controversial recruitment of American Fiona Scott Morton, appointed to head the Directorate General for European Competition. Despite the outcry from all political persuasions, the former lobbyist for GAFAM and former executive of the Obama administration should therefore take up his post in September.
Just this morning, four leaders of political groups in the European Parliament demanded that this appointment be reconsidered, fearing that it would open the door to vast conflicts of interest.
Read also: Four figures in the European Parliament denounce the appointment of Scott Morton
“The decision has been made. We see no reason to reconsider it,” Commission spokeswoman Dana Spinant told the daily press briefing.
However, this appointment provoked indignant reactions almost everywhere, especially in France. Elected officials from all political backgrounds have pinned down her former functions as head of economic analysis in the “antitrust” division of the US Department of Justice, between May 2011 and December 2012, or as a consultant for major tech groups like Amazon. , Apple and Microsoft.
“Digital regulation is a key issue for France and for Europe. This appointment deserves to be reconsidered by the Commission”, reacted Thursday evening the French Minister of Foreign Affairs, Catherine Colonna.
In the European Parliament, the leaders of the EPP group (right), the German Manfred Weber, of the S&D (social democrats), the Spaniard Iratxe Garcia Perez, of Renew (centrists and liberals), the Frenchman Stéphane Séjourné, and of the Greens , the Belgian Philippe Lamberts (Greens), also wrote to the Commission to ask it “to cancel this decision”.
Despite everything, Brussels is turning a deaf ear, tending it more willingly to requests from across the Atlantic.
#Brussels #refuses #reconsider #appointment #Scott #Morton