The city of Brussels, as reported by Reuters, On Friday, the European Commission maintained its position. It affirmed that it had no intention of reassessing the appointment of a U.S. economist by EU antitrust chief Margrethe Vestager for a prominent role in the supervision of Big Tech. This decision stands firm despite objections raised by French ministers and EU lawmakers.
Fiona Scott Morton, aged 56, has been appointed as the successor to Pierre Regibeau, the current chief economist at the U.S. Department of Justice. Commencing her three-year term on September 1, Morton brings extensive experience, having previously served as the chief economist during former President Obama’s administration.
The individual in question will be the inaugural non-European Union (EU) citizen, the first representative from the United States, and the first female to assume this particular role.
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On Friday, the leaders of the four primary political parties at the European Parliament collectively addressed a letter to Vestager, urging her to reconsider her decision. This request aligns with the previous appeals made by two French ministers a day prior.
The cited reasons for the post’s strategic importance include potential conflicts of interest arising from Scott Morton’s prior work with Big Tech and her previous public statements on antitrust matters.
Dana Spinant, the spokeswoman for the Commission, dismissed the criticism.
The college has officially endorsed the proposal to appoint this individual to the position. A decision has been reached. During a daily press conference, she stated there were no valid reasons to reconsider the matter.
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The opposition to the new hire was expressed by Manfred Weber, the Head of the European People’s Party; Stephane Sejourne, the President of Renew Europe; Iratxe Garcia Perez, the Head of the Socialists group, and Philippe Lamberts and Terry Reintke, the Heads of the Green Party.
To mitigate potential conflicts of interest, Scott Morton will abstain from participating in cases with which she has had prior involvement and cases involving companies for which she has previously served as a consultant.