Thierry Breton suddenly resigned as the European Commission's head of censorship after sparking public controversy by threatening to ban Elon Musk's X Platform in the European Union, citing “questionable governance” in Brussels.
In his shock resignation letter posted on X, the Frenchman claimed that European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen had been working behind the scenes to remove him from his post as EU internal market commissioner as she sought to form a new government.
Breton, who led the drafting of the European Union's tough new censorship law, the Digital Services Act (DSA), said von der Leyen had lobbied President Emmanuel Macron's government in Paris to withdraw her nomination for a second term for “personal reasons” but claimed he had not mentioned the matter to Macron “under any circumstances”.
“In light of these developments – further evidence of poor governance – I have come to the conclusion that I can no longer fulfil my duties at the European Commission,” he wrote. “I am therefore stepping down from my position as European Commissioner with immediate effect.”
According to Speaking to Euronews, the European Commission would not confirm or deny whether von der Leyen had pushed for Breton's replacement, saying only that the EU secretary-general “understands and accepts the resignation” and “thanks him for his work”.
Breton's surprise announcement came just weeks after he was accused by anonymous sources in Brussels of going off the deep end by publicly threatening to completely ban Elon Musk's social media platform “X” over so-called hate speech and disinformation.
Breton also called on Musk to censor a live interview with US presidential candidate Donald Trump, warning him not to allow “content that may incite violence, hatred or racism in relation to major political or social events around the world, including election-related debates or interviews.”
The top European official's intervention prompted accusations of “election interference” in the US presidential election. The following day, EU sources claimed to reporters that Breton had not consulted von der Leyen before issuing his censorship threat against Mr X.
“The EU has no intention of interfering in elections,” one EU official was quoted as saying at the time. “The conduct of the DSA is too important to be exploited by attention-seeking politicians seeking their next big job.”
Breton's resignation is likely to further complicate an already difficult task for von der Leyen as she seeks to form a new European Commission that will effectively act as a government in Brussels, as she will need to negotiate with EU governments to fill the posts.
French President Emmanuel Macron appointed Stephane Séjourné, a neoliberal former MEP who led Macron's “Renew Europe” group in the European Parliament after he left office. Séjourné, who now serves as Macron's foreign minister, is also known for having been in a gay civil union with former French Prime Minister Gabriel Attal.
