An American Lobbyist at the Head of the UE Competition Directorate General | Hacker News Reader

An American Lobbyist at the Head of the UE Competition Directorate General

lemonde.fr

20 pointsfederalbob8 comments

Is this a two-sided thing? Like we can expect appointing an European for head of the FTC? /s

No. The capital is in Washington DC, not in Brussels.

UPDATE: US economist Fiona Scott Morton announced on Wednesday (July 19th) that she was giving up running for a key EU post for the regulation of tech giants.

Don't worry. She didn't landed there by mistake so she will be replace by someone with the same caliber. Tech companies don't pay millions of Euros to the EU for nothing.

Fiona Scott Morton, a former employee of the US Justice Department's antitrust division, and a consultant for GAFAM, will become chief economist at the UE Competition Directorate General on September 1

The Commission argued that the American lobbyist was the "best candidate" for the job. That a group of 27 countries with one of the world's most sophisticated antitrust arsenals is unable to provide talent to rival the skills of Scott Morton is surprising, to say the least.

If the EU Commission proposed the appointment, then it's a safe bet the commission itself is captured/corrupt. Very corrupt, given how outrageous appointing a non-EU-citizen to a high-ranking EU political position is.

> the commission itself is captured/corrupt

It has been for quite some time (at least it was already dragging this reputation for the EU constitution referendum in 2005).

To the point that the schematic vision for EU organization is the EU parliament expected to represent EU citizens vs. the EU commission expected to defend private interests.

And Ursula von der Leyen has a horrendous track record when it comes to doing anything remotely positive. But having Margrethe Vestager defend this appointment was more of a letdown.

Chief economist of the DG, not head of the DG.

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