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A French EU commissioner resigns after attacking the leadership of top official Ursula von der Leyen

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A French EU commissioner resigns after attacking the leadership of top official Ursula von der Leyen
News

News

A French EU commissioner resigns after attacking the leadership of top official Ursula von der Leyen

2024-09-16 16:47 Last Updated At:17:00

BRUSSELS (AP) — 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.”

The commission proposes legislation for the 27 EU member countries and ensures that the rules governing the world’s biggest trading bloc are respected. It’s made up of a College of commissioners with a range of portfolios similar to those of government ministers, including agriculture, economic, competition, security or migration policy.

With an eye to keeping a gender balance within the commission for her second term at the helm, von der Leyen had asked each member country to supply the name of a male and female candidate for policy commissioner. Most only proposed one candidate, often a man.

The commission chief, a former German defense minister, has been pressuring smaller countries to change their minds. In recent weeks, a man who was the preferred candidate of the government in Slovenia withdrew and a woman was proposed in his place.

Von der Leyen decides which country gets which portfolio, and some of them, like those involving trade or finance or EU enlargement, are coveted by certain countries. Plum jobs like the post of “vice president” -– the commission has seven of these -– are also much sought after.

Breton suggested that he was a victim of these political machinations.

“A few days ago, in the very final stretch of negotiations on the composition of the future College, you asked France to withdraw my name — for personal reasons that in no instance you have discussed directly with me -– and offered, as a political trade-off, an allegedly more influential portfolio for France in the future College,” he wrote in his resignation letter.

“You will now be proposed a different candidate,” he said. It was not immediately clear who French President Emmanuel Macron might name in his place. Macron's office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

In any case, nothing is set in stone. The commission nominees must still pass a grilling in the European Parliament to take office.

Breton has irritated some in the commission with his go-it-alone approach. 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 U.S. President Donald Trump.

Musk, who owns the social media platform, posted a derogatory reply. Trump campaign spokesperson Steven Cheung urged the EU to “mind their own business instead of trying to meddle in the U.S. Presidential election.”

File - European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, second right, speaks with from left, European Commissioner for Justice Didier Reynders, European Commissioner for Internal Market Thierry Breton and European Commissioner for Neighborhood and Enlargement Oliver Varhelyi during a meeting of the College of Commissioners at EU headquarters in Brussels, Friday, June 17, 2022. (AP Photo/Geert Vanden Wijngaert, File)

File - European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, second right, speaks with from left, European Commissioner for Justice Didier Reynders, European Commissioner for Internal Market Thierry Breton and European Commissioner for Neighborhood and Enlargement Oliver Varhelyi during a meeting of the College of Commissioners at EU headquarters in Brussels, Friday, June 17, 2022. (AP Photo/Geert Vanden Wijngaert, File)

FILE - European Commissioner for Internal Market Thierry Breton speaks with the media as he arrives for a meeting of EU foreign and defense ministers at the European Council building in Brussels, on Nov. 14, 2023. (AP Photo/Virginia Mayo, File)

FILE - European Commissioner for Internal Market Thierry Breton speaks with the media as he arrives for a meeting of EU foreign and defense ministers at the European Council building in Brussels, on Nov. 14, 2023. (AP Photo/Virginia Mayo, File)

MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Love him or hate him, Nick Kyrgios is good for tennis and the sport will get a boost from his return to Grand Slam action at the Australian Open — or so he says.

“We watch sport because we want personalities. ... It’s like drama, theater. For me, being personally back, it adds a bit of question marks to, like, ‘What is going to happen today?’ I love that. Every time I step out on court, I don’t know if I’m going to be super controversial in a good or bad way,” 2022 Wimbledon runner-up Kyrgios said on Friday, when he indicated he thinks he'll be able to compete despite a recent issue with an abdominal muscle.

“Throughout my career, it hasn’t always been good,” continued the 29-year-old Australian, wearing a green hat in support of his favorite NBA team, the reigning champion Boston Celtics, “but it’s added a lot of excitement to the game.”

As play begins at Melbourne Park on Sunday (Saturday EST), Kyrgios is sure to be among the players garnering the most attention from spectators, media and other athletes, assuming, that is, he is fit enough. He played a total of one singles match across 2023 and 2024 combined while dealing with knee and wrist problems.

He made it sound after a practice session Friday morning — and before a second one planned for the afternoon — as if he'll be ready for his first major in more than two years.

“It's good to be back. I think it’s important,” Kyrgios said. “I think the sport was getting a bit mundane.”

No matter what anyone thinks of Kyrgios — and everyone, it seems, has an opinion, one way or another — there can be no doubt that he is anything but dull.

That goes for on the court, from the booming serves to the between-the-legs shots to the back-and-forths with chair umpires and spectators to the racket smashes and fine-drawing outbursts. Away from the tour, he never seems far away from headlines, either, including when he escaped conviction on a charge of common assault when he pleaded guilty to shoving a former girlfriend to the ground during an argument in 2021. And then there are the times when he offers his thoughts, as a TV commentator or via statements at news conferences or online, that upset folks, including lately about doping cases involving Jannik Sinner and Iga Swiatek.

“I know that people don’t like when I just speak out about things,” Kyrgios said recently, “and (am) honest about things.”

The most recent major tournament that Kyrgios was able to participate in was the 2022 U.S. Open.

He returned to competition last week at the Brisbane International tuneup tournament, playing one singles match and joining Novak Djokovic for two doubles matches.

When it comes to Kyrgios' talent, other players tend to agree with Jordan Thompson's assessment Friday: “If he’s fit, he’s a contender.”

Daniil Medvedev, the 2021 U.S. Open champion and a three-time runner-up at Melbourne Park, said a healthy Kyrgios is “definitely great for tennis.”

“I would love to see him play against Carlos (Alcaraz) and Jannik (Sinner). His biggest weapon is his serve (and) he has the skills and the hands,” Medvedev said. “I’m only happy if he comes back to tennis.”

AP tennis: https://apnews.com/hub/tennis

FILE - Andy Murray of Britain cries and waves to the spectators after he and his partner Daniel Evans defeated by Taylor Fritz and Tommy Paul of the United States in the men's doubles quarterfinals tennis match, at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Thursday, Aug. 1, 2024, at the Roland Garros stadium in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Andy Wong, File)

FILE - Andy Murray of Britain cries and waves to the spectators after he and his partner Daniel Evans defeated by Taylor Fritz and Tommy Paul of the United States in the men's doubles quarterfinals tennis match, at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Thursday, Aug. 1, 2024, at the Roland Garros stadium in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Andy Wong, File)

FILE - Naomi Osaka of Japan returns a shot to Coco Gauff of the United States in a women's singles match for the China Open tennis tournament held at the National Tennis Center in Beijing, Tuesday, Oct. 1, 2024. (AP Photo/Achmad Ibrahim, File)

FILE - Naomi Osaka of Japan returns a shot to Coco Gauff of the United States in a women's singles match for the China Open tennis tournament held at the National Tennis Center in Beijing, Tuesday, Oct. 1, 2024. (AP Photo/Achmad Ibrahim, File)

FILE - Australia's Nick Kyrgios returns the ball from between his legs to Serbia's Novak Djokovic in the final of the men's singles on day fourteen of the Wimbledon tennis championships in London, Sunday, July 10, 2022. (AP Photo/Alastair Grant, File)

FILE - Australia's Nick Kyrgios returns the ball from between his legs to Serbia's Novak Djokovic in the final of the men's singles on day fourteen of the Wimbledon tennis championships in London, Sunday, July 10, 2022. (AP Photo/Alastair Grant, File)

FILE - Nick Kyrgios, of Australia, tosses his racket as he plays Karen Khachanov, of Russia, during the quarterfinals of the U.S. Open tennis championships, Tuesday, Sept. 6, 2022, in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II, File)

FILE - Nick Kyrgios, of Australia, tosses his racket as he plays Karen Khachanov, of Russia, during the quarterfinals of the U.S. Open tennis championships, Tuesday, Sept. 6, 2022, in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II, File)

FILE - Serbia's Novak Djokovic, right, celebrates beating Australia's Nick Kyrgios in the final of the men's singles on day fourteen of the Wimbledon tennis championships in London, Sunday, July 10, 2022. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth, File)

FILE - Serbia's Novak Djokovic, right, celebrates beating Australia's Nick Kyrgios in the final of the men's singles on day fourteen of the Wimbledon tennis championships in London, Sunday, July 10, 2022. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth, File)

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