French backlash scuppers appointment of US economist for EU Big Tech regulation

economictimes.indiatimes.com:

EU antitrust chief, Margrethe Vestager, triggered the furore last week by picking Fiona Scott Morton as the chief economist of the EU's antitrust unit, the competition arm currently running probes into US tech giants Alphabet, Apple, Meta Platforms, Microsoft and Amazon's bid for iRobot. It is rare for the Commission to pick a non-EU national for such a senior job unless there are exceptional circumstances.

France has in recent years been vocal about its determination to drive Europe's independence and wants to remove all possible US influence from policy-making as it pushes for strategic autonomy in key industries, such as technology. Scott Morton, 56, a Yale economics professor who held the post of chief economist at the US Department of Justice just over a decade ago, has acted as a consultant for some Big Tech companies including Apple, Amazon and Microsoft.

She would have had to recuse herself for up to two years from cases involving companies which were her clients. France, from President Emmanuel Macron to its media and lawmakers, led criticism of her appointment, but leaders of the main political parties at the European Parliament also opposed the move.

A spokesman for the French foreign ministry said its opposition «did not relate to the qualities of the person concerned but to the compatibility of this appointment with two principles which are at the heart of our conception of the European Union: sovereignty and the protection of the interests of European businesses and consumers.» French politicians from all sides welcomed Morton's decision on Wednesday. The EU has forged a reputation as a global pioneer for formulating privacy rules to keep the US tech giants in check, handing out huge fines to Google for