New twists to European Commission saga as Breton rips into von der Leyen on his way out

Tensions remain high in efforts to appoint the new European Commission.

France's Thierry Breton slammed the door on a second term as Commissioner, resigning on Monday with choice words for Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.

In a post on X, Breton accused her of "questionable governance" and lobbying for a different candidate from Paris, followed by an empty frame meant to represent his "official portrait" for the upcoming term.

"The president takes note and accepts Thierry Breton's resignation and thanks him for his work as Commissioner throughout the mandate," European Commission spokesperson Arianna Podesta said in response, declining to comment on the allegations.

The new name given by the French government is Stéphane Séjourné, current minister of foreign affairs and former MEP.

With another man on her roster, Ursula von der Leyen continued to struggle to achieve gender parity among the 26 candidates named by the member states.

The Slovenian government accepted her request to change the initial male candidate to diplomat Marta Kos, but the parliament in Ljubljana has slowed down the process of giving her the domestic green light.

The case led to a week's delay in presenting the list to the European Parliament, which will be carrying out interviews with all candidates before voting on them.

"We are preparing ourselves, and we are coordinating regarding questions," MEP Alex Agius Saliba, vice-president of the centre-left S&D group, told Euronews.

"But, ultimately, until we get a clearer picture with regards to how portfolios will be distributed and how portfolios will be taking shape, it will be more difficult for us to conclude our work," he said.

The president of the European Commission will also face pressure