By Foo Yun Chee and Michel Rose
BRUSSELS/PARIS (Reuters) – France’s foreign minister and government minister have called EU antitrust chief Margrethe Vestager to reconsider her appointment of a U.S. economist and former antitrust official to a senior job at the European Commission overseeing Big Tech.
Vestager on Tuesday announced the hiring of Fiona Scott Morton, the former chief economist at the U.S. Department of Justice during former President Barack Obama’s tenure.
Scott Morton will take up her post on Sept. 1 when the current chief economist, Pierre Regibeau, retires. Her appointment drew criticism even before it was announced, with many citing potential conflicts of interest due to her consulting work at Charles River Associates, a consultancy which advises a number of tech giants.
French foreign minister Catherine Colonna said she was astonished at the appointment.
“Digital regulation is a key issue for France and for Europe. This appointment deserves to be reconsidered by @EU_Commission,” she said in a tweet.
French government minister Jean-Noel Barrot issued the same call.
“At a time when Europe is embarking on the most ambitious digital regulation in the world, the recent appointment of the chief economist of DG Competition is not without raising legitimate questions,” he said in a tweet. “I invite the @EU_Commission to reconsider their choice.”
The Commission did not have any immediate comment.
(Reporting by Foo Yun Chee; Editing by Conor Humphries)
