“Macron is of the opinion that my decision will depend on the country on the front of my passport,” says Fiona Scott-Morton. BERTRAND GE/AFP
An American economist who stepped down from a high-profile position in Brussels after a backlash from Emmanuel Macron criticized France's “diffident” and xenophobic comments about her appointment.
Fiona Scott-Morton said it was “completely wrong” for Macron to suggest that “the country on the front of my passport” would influence her approach to regulating US tech giants like Google, Facebook and Amazon.
“It's disturbing and sad that French society is insecure to the point of rejecting the idea that there could be a principled American who wants to work for Europe,” she said in her first interview since stepping down as chief economist at strong EU competition. division.
Ms Scott-Morton also warned that political interference in tech appointments is “destructive to the independence of the European Commission.”
A Yale professor said it would prevent the bloc from developing competition and putting consumers first.
Fiona Scott-Morton, American economist: the way forward
Ms Scott-Morton, who was due to start as chief economist at the EU Competition Directorate on 1 September, added: “What is really unfortunate is Macron’s opinion that the country on the front of my passport determine my judgment or influence how I would conduct an economic analysis.
“That's the sum total of his objections to me at the end of the day. And of course, in my case it is completely wrong. He probably knows that in general this is a bad way to select talent for an agency. France and Europe should be reasonably confident that they have a job that is attractive to an American.”
Fiona Scott- Morton: “Will the French really be allowed to determine the direction of the EU?” Photo: Frédéric Camallonga
A former US Justice Department official said she was “surprised” and “disappointed” by the response from politicians in France and the European Parliament.
Mr Macron called competition chief Margrethe Vestager's decision to hire Ms Scott-Morton “questionable”, calling into question her work as a consultant for US tech giants Amazon, Apple and most recently Microsoft acquired Activision Blizzard.
“Isn't there a European researcher who could do the job?” he told reporters last month.
Responding to criticism, Ms. Scott-Morton said most of her work with tech giants was completed years ago and is “not relevant” to current antitrust issues .
Ms. Scott-Morton said she would not be involved in cases that would present a clear conflict of interest, including the deal with Microsoft.
She said politicians will always face a “compromise” when making a decision on who to appoint as a competition economist, as consulting is a common occurrence in her industry.
“Governments have a choice,” she said. “They can hire someone who hasn't consulted before. So, this is a person who lacks certain practical knowledge about how the job should work. If you want someone with that kind of practical knowledge, then they must have consulted [and had] a conflict. So there's a trade-off between whether you want an experience that comes with some conflict, or no experience and no conflict.”
Ms Scott-Morton suggested that political divisions in Brussels will dampen the efforts of the European Commission to enforce its flagship Digital Markets Act.
The law, which comes into full force next spring, requires big tech companies to do more to control the internet. It also gives Brussels the power to impose heavy fines for anti-competitive conduct.
In recent years, France has spearheaded a new protectionist campaign in the 27-nation bloc, pitting its more liberal Danish head of competition, Ms Vestager, against French internal market commissioner Thierry Breton. Ms Vestager is due to step down in 2024, and Mr Breton is reportedly eyeing Ursula von der Leyen's top job.
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