American economist Fiona Scott Morton has withdrawn her candidacy for the position of the European Commission’s chief competition economist after a political backlash that culminated in criticism of French President Emmanuel Macron for choosing a non-EU candidate, Politico reports.

“Given the controversy that has arisen due to the selection of a non-European to fill this position and the importance that the Directorate-General has the full support of the European Union, I have decided that the best decision is to step down and not take up the position of Chief Economist,” Scott Morton said in a letter posted on Twitter by European Commission Executive Vice-President Margrethe Vestager.

The Yale professor’s ties to big tech companies such as Microsoft and Apple have sparked concern as she would be responsible for advising on the Digital Markets Act, the EU law designed to clamp down on those companies.

Scott Morton would also be the first non-EU citizen to take up such a senior position at the Commission, which has sparked opposition from bloc countries, particularly France.

In recent days, French ministers have strongly opposed the appointment, calling on the Commission to withdraw the job offer. Then on Tuesday, Macron told reporters he was “skeptical” about the appointment and said the move was not “consistent” with Brussels’ strategic autonomy goals.

The argument reflects wider questions about how open the EU should be when dealing with an increasingly protectionist US. The French argument, in essence, is that Europe should be less naive about strategic competition from other powers, including America. Neither does the U.S. nor would China allow a non-national to take a position equivalent to that of Scott Morton, Macron said on Tuesday.

The reaction did not come only from Paris. Four major groups in the European Parliament had called for the bid to be withdrawn and five commissioners expressed concerns about the appointment and were due to discuss it on Wednesday before Scott Morton withdrew, according to the Brussels Playbook.

Others spoke in favor of the appointment. Dozens of leading economists said on Monday that the decision should stand and that the Commission should “recruit the best possible partners at the service of European citizens, regardless of their nationality”.