Thierry Breton shocked Brussels on 16 September when he resigned as Commissioner in a public letter, in which he accused Commission President Ursula von der Leyen of requesting that France replace him to receive a more influential portfolio. The resignation led to French President Emmanuel Macron nominating Stéphane Séjourné as France’s new Commissioner several hours later.
On Tuesday, 17 September, Séjourné was appointed Executive Vice-President-designate for Prosperity and Industrial Strategy. Séjourné holds considerable political experience, becoming an advisor to then-French Minister of the Economy and Finance, Emmanuel Macron in 2014, later staying as his advisor when Macron became President in 2017. Séjourné became a member of the European Parliament (MEP) during the 2019-2024 mandate. During his time in Parliament, he served on several committees including the Committee on Legal Affairs and the Special Committee on Artificial Intelligence in a Digital Age.
Later becoming the President of the liberal Renew Europe Group in the European Parliament before being appointed France’s Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs in January, Stéphane Séjourné is well-versed in the dynamics of the Brussels political bubble.
Prosperity
Regarding prosperity, Séjourné will be tasked with starting a “new era of productivity, innovation and competitiveness.” He will work closely with all Members of the College to aid Europe in becoming more competitive and ensuring better conditions for industries and companies to invest and decarbonise. Séjourné has also been asked to strengthen Europe’s sovereignty in the sectors and technologies that will shape tomorrow’s economy, enhancing Europe’s prosperity. The road to Europe’s prosperity will also include a greater focus on innovation and research, beneficial trade and economic security policies, diversifying supply, and reforming the EU’s customs systems.
Industry
Like his predecessor Thierry Breton, Séjourné will oversee the Industry, SMEs, and the Single Market. In Séjourné’s mission letter, von der Leyen has highlighted how “Europe needs a new industrial strategy” focusing on more investment, more innovation and increased use of the Single Market and the EU’s economic and trade policies. In the first 100 days of the new mandate, Séjourné will develop the Clean Industrial Deal alongside the Commissioner for Climate, Net Zero and Clean Growth, Wopke Hoekstra. He will also be tasked with presenting an Industrial Decarbonisation Accelerator Act and Net Zero Industry Act.
Séjourné will work on strengthening the single Market by developing a horizontal Single Market Strategy, which will promote the cross-border provision of services and cross-border movement of goods. Séjourné is also tasked with setting up a dedicated Raw Materials Platform to manage stockpiles and implement the Critical Raw Materials Act.
Conclusions
To conclude, the appointment of Stéphane Séjourné as Executive Vice-President-designate for Prosperity and Industrial Strategy highlights the importance of industry and competitiveness within the next mandate. Von der Leyen has provided him with an extensive agenda closely aligned with her 2024-2029 Political Guidelines. Séjourné has a heavy task in leading a new era of productivity, innovation and competitiveness in Europe. He will be working closely with all Members of the College of Commissioners to ensure the vision of Europe’s future competitiveness laid out in the Draghi report is achieved.
