Source: European Parliament
Question for written answer E-001753/2024/rev.1
to the Commission
Rule 144
Virginie Joron (PfE)
On 13 August 2024, the Commission criticised[1] Thierry Breton, Internal Market Commissioner, for speaking out[2] without permission against X (formerly known as Twitter) before the social network broadcast an interview by its boss, Elon Musk, of US presidential candidate Donald Trump during the election campaign. Thierry Breton resigned from the Commission on 16 September 2024.
The dispute is evidence that some decisions taken by former Commissioners spark controversy and are not ‘business as usual’.
- 1.Was Commission Vice-President Margrethe Vestager aware of Thierry Breton’s initative in advance and did she give it the green light[3]?
- 2.Does the Commission consider that initiative interference in the electoral process of a third country?
Submitted: 18.9.2024
- [1] https://www.lejdd.fr/international/la-commission-europeenne-se-distancie-de-thierry-breton-apres-sa-confrontation-avec-elon-musk-148554; https://www.ft.com/content/09cf4713-7199-4e47-a373-ed5de61c2afa
- [2] https://x.com/thierrybreton/status/1823033048109367549 https://x.com/ThierryBreton/status/1835565206639972734
- [3] Commission working methods, https://commissioners.ec.europa.eu/document/download/0dbda7ed-b7fb-4d7e-9e62-6c8b0f54be62_en?filename=working-methods.pdf
Last updated: 2 October 2024