FILE PHOTO: European Commissioner for Internal Market Thierry Breton speaks during a press conference presenting plans to boost the European Union's arms industry in Brussels, Belgium March 5, 2024. REUTERS/Yves Herman/File Photo
PARIS/BRUSSELS (Reuters) -Thierry Breton of France stepped down as a member of the European Commission on Monday and said he would no longer be his country's candidate for the next EU executive body, in an unexpected twist in the highly political EU power transition.
Breton, one of the highest-profile members of the European Commission for the past five years, is best known for sparring publicly with tech billionaire Elon Musk and playing a key role in shaping the 27-nation EU's Big Tech regulation, its COVID-vaccine response and efforts to boost defence industries.
