Reactions have been caused by the European Commission’s decision to place the American citizen Fiona Scott Morton in the position of Chief Competition Economist in the General Directorate of Competition. He was also a consultant to Apple and Amazon.

In a letter to the responsible Commissioner Margrethe Vestager, the heads of four European Parliament political groups (EPP, Renew, Social Democrats, Greens) note that despite the fact that they recognize the Commission’s prerogative for internal recruitment, “it cannot contradicts the general principles, interests and objectives of the Union”.

“In a period of intense scrutiny of our institutions against foreign interference, we fail to understand the assessment of non-EU candidates for such a high position and strategic position” point out in the letter, Stéphane Cezournet, Manfred Weber, Irace García Pérez, Terry Reidke and Philippe Lambert.

To a related question, the representative of the Commission, Balas Uzvari, replied that the decision was taken by the House of Commissioners last Tuesday, July 11, and explained that it is senior management position. Also, the representative explained that based on the current practice, the recruitment process will be completed. For her part, Deputy Chief Spokesperson Dana Spinand pointed out that the announcement for the position was published in February, and was open to citizens who they are not EU nationals “because of the specificity of the qualifications and skills required.

“This is a specific position that requires technical expertise and academic qualifications, as was specifically mentioned in the announcement” it was noted.

“Didn’t any European citizens have the required skills?”

The decision of Brussels to appoint Fiona Scott Morton to the position of chief economist in the Directorate General for Competition of the European Commission also caused a reaction in Paris.

French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna yesterday called on Commissioner Marget Vestager to reconsider the appointment. “Digital regulation is a key issue for France and Europe. This appointment deserves reconsideration by the European Commission,” wrote the French foreign minister on Twitter, while Jean-Noel Barot, Minister of Digital Transition and Telecommunications, said for his part that “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 raises reasonable questions”.

At the parliamentary level, MP Benjamin Hadat described the decision of the European Union as “inexplicable”, asking: “Didn’t any European citizen have the required skills?” According to the French financial newspaper Les Échos, Scott Morton graduated from Yale University, then was the head of economic analysis in the antitrust division of the US Department of Justice under the administration of Barack Obama, and between May 2011 and December 2012, he worked as consultant to major technology companies such as Apple and Microsoft.