A former adviser to Silicon Valley has walked away from a post as the European Commission’s chief competition economist, hours after a stinging rebuke from French President Emmanuel Macron.
(Bloomberg) — A former adviser to Silicon Valley has walked away from a post as the European Commission’s chief competition economist, hours after a stinging rebuke from French President Emmanuel Macron.
Fiona Scott Morton, an economics professor at Yale University, said in a letter to European Union Competition Commissioner Margrethe Vestager that she’s decided to not take up the position set to begin in September, “given the political controversy that has arisen because of the selection of a non-European to fill this position.”
Vestager tweeted the letter on Wednesday, saying she’ll accept “this with regret.” Just last night, Vestager told a European Parliament in a grilling over the appointment that the commission wanted to appoint a chief economist “based on the merits and not on their passport.”
Scott Morton is a former adviser to companies including Apple Inc. and Amazon.com Inc., and is serving as an “economic expert on behalf of” Microsoft Corp. for its current acquisition of Activision Blizzard Inc. which is facing challenges from regulators on both sides of the Atlantic.
The fury over hiring an American Big Tech adviser is part of a wider feud that’s seen France and its allies push a more protectionist stance — including allowing more aid to homegrown firms to combat US and Chinese rivals pumped primed with foreign subsidies.
That’s put Macron and French EU Commissioner Thierry Breton at odds with the likes of Vestager and Commission Vice President Valdis Dombrovskis who advocate for less state intervention and closer ties with the US.
Scott Morton’s decision to walk away comes as Macron and his government ministers have also been turning the screw on their influence over the commission’s competition department.
The bloc’s competition portfolio is considered one of the most powerful in Brussels and makes key decisions on multi-billion dollar deals, abuses of dominance by some of the world’s largest firms, and government subsidy packages to prop up ailing businesses.
France has maneuvered several key officials into top jobs in the department over recent years, including the current head of the department Olivier Guersent and the bloc’s top merger official Guillaume Loriot.
Read more: Macron Blasts EU for Hiring American for Chief Economist Job
Speaking on the sidelines of a meeting of EU leaders, Macron on Tuesday said he “would be open” to such a hire if Europeans were given similar jobs “at the heart of decision-making at the White House” or in China. But it was “extremely worrying” if it was true that there was a deficit of European economists who would have been suitable for the post instead of the American.
Macron’s attack on the appointment follows criticism from ministers in his government as well as lawmakers in the European Parliament.
(Updates to context of French influence starting in fifth paragraph)
More stories like this are available on bloomberg.com
©2023 Bloomberg L.P.