Thierry Breton: the January of three blunders

France-Soir Thierry Breton participates in "HelloQuitX" January 20 at the CNRS premises

OPINION – 

Thierry Breton remains in the news after his departure from the European Commission. On January 9, he approved European interference in member state elections. On the 15th, his appointment to the Bank of America Global Advisory Board was validated by the European Commission. On the 20th, he presided over the launch of a “HelloQuitX” platform at the premises of the National Center for Scientific Research (CNRS) aimed at a mass transfer of X accounts. < /p>

European Commissioner from 2019, in charge of the internal market, industrial policy, digital, Breton succeeded in having the Digital Services Act (DSA) regulation adopted in 2022, regulating large digital platforms, including social networks. After the acquisition of Twitter by Elon Musk, this text was directed against X (ex-Twitter), with the Commission opening an investigation into X's compliance with its DSA obligations in December 2023. 

The first blunder occurred on January 9 on RMC, on the microphone of “Apolline Matin”. Apolline de Malherbe mentioned the cancellation on December 6 by the Constitutional Court of Romania of the first round of the presidential elections. An independent candidate, Calin Georgescu, came out on top (with 22%) to the great displeasure of government circles in Europe. Indeed, his position, particularly regarding the Russo-Ukrainian conflict, is similar to that of the Hungarian and Slovak leaders: his country has nothing to do with it and must not be drawn into it even via NATO. The Court argues that the campaign on TikTok in favor of Georgescu is foreign interference. However, these modest-scale campaigns (25,000 TikTok accounts concerned; around a hundred influencers) were allegedly financed by the National Liberal Party. Georgescu’s appeal (supported by the candidate who came second) to the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) was rejected, for “no imminent risk of irreparable harm to a recognized right”. This assessment would result from the calling of upcoming elections; it sets a sinister precedent as highlighted in the Voltaire Network letter of 24 January.  

In this context, Breton welcomes the halting of the electoral process: “we did it in Romania, we will obviously have to do it, if necessary, in Germany” for the Bundestag elections at the end of February 2025. “If necessary” seems to mean: in the event of victory for the Alternative for Germany (AfD) party, second in the polls on 27 January with 21% of voting intentions. 

Without a function in Brussels, what does Breton mean by “we” ? The European “Deep State” ? What is this right, or even this duty, to intervene ? What do “we” do in Germany in the event of an AfD victory ? Encourage the federal president, or the constitutional court, to cancel the election for reasons as futile as in Romania ? And what do “we” do in Romania where Georgescu is credited on January 20 with 38% of voting intentions in the first round of May 4 ? 

The second blunder is his appointment to the Global Advisory Board of Bank of America (BoA), one of the three largest banks in the US, approved on 15 January by the Commission: the Ethics Committee did not find fault with the role Breton intended: to contribute to geostrategic and economic discussions, which “does not imply any obligation or responsibility outside of meetings”. Breton will, however, have to refrain from communicating, and even using any information subject to professional secrecy, and refrain for two years from any lobbying on subjects related to his activity as Commissioner. He will have to segregate his right brain and his left brain for two years, and limit himself to the two annual meetings. Compliance with the system will be difficult to monitor… 

Everyone can understand Breton: he already held this position within BoA before his appointment as Commissioner; the three days of work per year can bring in one or more annual minimum wages, and why not (but not before two years!) extras, for example, for the investment banking subsidiary BoA Securities (formerly Merrill Lynch). Everyone can understand BoA: Breton, in charge of key issues for the bank and its clients from 2019 to 2024, will be able to provide many services. Ethical concerns ? Come on, he was a professor at Harvard of “leadership and corporate responsibility”: who would doubt that he is ready to respect 100% of the conditions set by the Commission ?  

Third blunder on January 20th in the premises of the CNRS, a major center of French public research. The “HelloQuitX” initiative was launched there with great fanfare. David Chavalarias was leading it; he is a research director at the CNRS and the Institute for Advanced Studies in the Social Sciences (IHESS), head of the Institute of Complex Systems of Paris-Île-de-France (ISC-PIF) which brings together the cream of Parisian universities and research around the CNRS. France-Soir was there. At the podium, a vague research project on portability was mentioned; then things got complicated: for the lawyer for the Human Rights League, it was about imposing the DSA rules on X, creating a political balance of power and “a movement”. Breton intervened: “I'm behind this whole day”; “It was David who called me… I said yes right away”; he salutes scientists who “work for what I wanted to do” with the DSA. David Chavalarias explains: “X relays” Robinson in GB, Musk “does politics in Italy”, is close to Mrs. Meloni there, “grows” the party ‘Alternative for Germany’. The same day, Raphael Glucksman (co-leader of the Place Publique party and MEP) is the political guest of J.J. Bourdin on Sud-Radio; When asked about “HelloQuitX”, he confirmed that he was planning, via a group of CNRS scientists, an organized and massive departure from X, because we had to act as a group. 

A “HelloQuitX” video shows a group of socialist and environmentalist figures, Benoit Hamon, Anne Sinclair, Julie Gayet, Cécile Duflot, Cédric Villani, Rokhaya Diallo… declaiming slogans on the urgency of leaving X, filled with biased information, even defamatory for X and Elon Musk, and Presidents Trump and Putin… 

Who (apart from Minister Borne) can see in this gibberish a research project and not a political meeting ? Are we not at the antipodes of the purpose of the CNRS, a public administrative establishment supposed to do research, or of the mission of the ISC-PIF, “to develop transversal methods and tools to better understand and control complex systems” ? 

Breton joined a political project carried out with public funds from a CNRS lab, with an amateurism of nickel-plated feet, opening the way to many disputes against the CNRS (which denies its involvement) and all the people associated with “HelloQuitX”, including himself. 

Let us salute the hat trick that Thierry pulled off Breton in this month of January: it's hard to keep up at this pace, but each one gives food for thought to the vigilance of citizen journalism. 

Daniel Godet is a former civil administrator, retired executive of a large company, and curious mind.

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