Macron is dissatisfied, and the European Union has appointed Americans as the chief of high-level positions | United States | Americans
The European Commission announced last week that it has appointed Fiona Scott Morton, an antitrust official from the former US President Obama administration and an economics professor at Yale University, as the Chief Economist of the EU Competition Agency, who will be involved in regulating US businesses.
The European Parliament caucus, French President Macron, and several cabinet officials expressed dissatisfaction with this. Given that Morton has previously worked as a consultant for several large US technology companies and served as the Chief Economist of the US Department of Justice under Obama, Macron expressed concerns about potential conflicts of interest and questioned whether the EU needs to make appointments across the Atlantic.
Screenshot of the report
Morton previously served as a consultant for tech giants such as Apple, Microsoft, and Amazon.
According to the new appointment, she will play a crucial role in the antitrust investigations of many large US technology companies such as Google, Apple, Meta, and Microsoft, as well as in the mergers and acquisitions of companies such as Amazon, in her new position.
In addition, she also needs to make a decision on the application of the EU Digital Markets Act. The bill aims to constrain large platforms in the field of digital services such as social networks and search engines, and restrict technology giants such as Google, Apple, Amazon, and Facebook.
Morton data chart. Macron has always called for the EU to have more strategic autonomy. "Europeans need to develop European skills and have strategic autonomy, but before that, you need to have intellectual autonomy."“
"Does the EU need to make appointments across the Atlantic?" Macron questioned, considering Morton's background in the industry, she should avoid some key competitive investigation work.
During his speech on the sidelines of the summit between EU and Latin American leaders, Macron emphasized that neither the United States nor China will appoint overseas individuals to such positions and enter the core circle of government decision-making, as laws will prevent them from doing so.
He also questioned whether there was a shortage of European economists suitable for the position that could only be hired by Americans? In a group with a population of approximately 450 million, "Does not one of the 27 member states have enough outstanding researchers to provide advice to the European Commission?"
Macron pointed out that it is "extremely concerning" that no one in the European Union is capable of handling this position, indicating that "there are significant issues with the academic system in Europe.".
Macron insisted that he had no objections to Morton himself, and according to EU regulations, the EU should not hire non EU citizens to such senior positions. Macron requested an explanation from the European Commission.
Earlier this week, a group of European economists came forward to support Morton's appointment, praising the European Commission for attracting "one of the best economists in the world.". Morton is expected to take office on September 1st.
Other officials in the Macron cabinet have already criticized this, and members of the European Parliament have also expressed opposition.
On the 18th, the European Union's Commissioner for Competition, Margaret Vestag, stated that they hope to appoint the Chief Economist based on the abilities of experts rather than nationality. However, she also stated that an assessment is being conducted to determine whether Morton has any potential conflicts of interest that could affect her work in the European Commission.
