Appointment of an American to a key post in the EU: the Medef in turn shows its disagreement

Rare are the issues on which there is such a consensus in France. Behind the government and French MEPs everywhere, it’s up to the main French employers, Medef, to show its strong disagreement with the controversial hiring of American Fiona Scott Morton in a key position in regulating the tech giants. The organization thus asked the European Commission on Friday to “review its decision.”

The European executive, chaired by Ursula von der Leyen, announced this Tuesday that Fiona Scott Morton, professor of economics at Yale University, has been chosen as the new chief economist of the Directorate General for Competition.

This appointment provoked outraged reactions, particularly in France.

“Niveté, indifference and contempt”

“This appointment, beyond the present case, raises the question of the rules for the appointment of key posts in the European institutions, which should also be defined and identified as such in the future,” he believes, asking that “certain internal rules of the Commission and the European Parliament are reviewed to reserve strategic positions for nationals of the 27 member countries of the EU.”

A former consultant for Amazon, Apple and Microsoft

Elected officials from all walks of life have pointed to the past roles of Fiona Scott Morton, who was head of economic analysis at the US Department of Justice’s antitrust division from May 2011 to December 2012 and a consultant to large groups. technological as. Amazon, Apple and Microsoft.

The leaders of the four groups in the European Parliament, the German Manfred Weber (EPP), the Spanish Iratxe García Pérez (S&D), the French Stéphane Séjourné (Renew), the Belgian Philippe Lamberts (Greens) say they are “very concerned about the opinions opposed” to these new legislations that Mrs. Scott Morton “has expressed publicly”.

On Friday, the European Commission directed an order of inadmissibility to the French government that demanded the cancellation of his contract. “The decision has been made. We see no reason to reconsider it,” Commission spokeswoman Dana Spinant told a news conference.