EU Competition Commissioner Margrethe Vestager to step down after nearly a decade
Vestager will not return for a third EU term
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EU Competition Commissioner Margrethe Vestager is to be replaced as a nominee after two terms in the role.
As one of the EU’s three Executive Vice Presidents, Vestager’s responsibility was in delivering a ‘Europe Fit for the Digital Age’.
The change comes after poor results for the commissioners Social Liberal Party in Denmark’s 2022 election, as the party is no longer part of the ruling coalition.
World’s next top trustbuster
As the EU’s most powerful antitrust official, Vestager delivered blows to numerous US tech giants such asApple, Alphabet, and Meta. Landmark cases forced tech companies to make big changes in order to become fairer and invite competition, as was the case with theGoogleanticompetition case. Vestager also oversaw the handing out of hefty fines, which combined total to over $20 billion (although many are still being contested).
The bureaucrat was the target of significant criticism during her decade tenure, most famously from Donald Trump, who branded her the EU’s ‘tax lady’, and fromTim Cook, who labelled one of her rulings as ‘total political crap’.
The line of succession is unclear for this position, but it’s reported that European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen will start the interview process next week. Commissioners are nominated by member states in consultation with the commission president.
It is reported that Copenhagan is still deciding its candidate, but all three front-runners are men from the ruling Social Democrat party - climate minister Dan Jørgensen, business minister Morten Bødskov and finance minister Nicolai Wammen.
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ViaFinancial Times
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Ellen has been writing for almost four years, with a focus on post-COVID policy whilst studying for BA Politics and International Relations at the University of Cardiff, followed by an MA in Political Communication. Before joining TechRadar Pro as a Junior Writer, she worked for Future Publishing’s MVC content team, working with merchants and retailers to upload content.
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