Macron slams appointment of US citizen in high-ranking EU position

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
19 Jul 2023 15:54

The French President questions the decision to hire a non-European in such a position.

French President Emmanuel Macron speaks to reporters after attending the plenary session of a summit of the European Union and the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (EU-CELAC) at the European Council building in Brussels, Belgium, July 18, 2023 (AFP)

French President Emmanuel Macron has criticized the appointment of US citizen Fiona Scott Morton as the European Commission's Chief Competition Economist, saying that the move is "inconsistent" and undermined the European Union's strategic autonomy.

"I believe that the Europeans need to develop European competencies, to have strategic autonomy. [They] need to have independence of mind, while the appointment of Ms. Morton is inconsistent in this sense," Macron told reporters at the EU-CELAC summit in Brussels, Belgium.

He further put into question the decision to hire a non-European national in a high-level position, highlighting that other global competitors such as the US and China have not followed such a policy on their part.

"If we do not have a single European expert of this level to appoint to the European Commission, this means that we have a big problem with all educational systems in the EU," Macron exclaimed.

The European Commission announced its decision to hire Scott Morton on July 11, citing the lack of skilled Europeans.

The new appointee is a professor of economics at Yale University and has previously worked under the Obama administration as well as taking positions in various big-tech companies such as Microsoft and Apple.