EU competition and the battle of the American economist. After pressure Scott Morton slips out

A reverse, after the controversies and battles that have shaken European palaces for days. The American economist, Fiona Scott Morton, has decided to give up her post as chief economist in the Directorate-General for Competition at the European Commission. The announcement comes from Margrethe Vestager, Vice-President of the Commission and responsible for Competition. “I received a letter from Professor Fiona Scott Morton that you have decided to retire and not take up the position of Chief Competition Economist. Having also discussed it with her, I accept her decision, with regret and full respect for her integrity. I wish her all the best for the future and that she continues to use her extraordinary skills and experience to push for strong competition enforcement and regulation on both sides of the Atlantic,” Vestager said in a statement.

“Given the political controversy that has arisen over the selection of a non-European to fill this position, and the importance of the Directorate-General having the full support of the European Union in its action, I have decided that the best course of action is to retire and not take the position of chief economist,” wrote Scott Morton in his letter. Members of the European Parliament had taken sides against her, concerned about a potential conflict of interest and about how the Commission could deal with the issue. And Macron himself said he was skeptical about the appointment: “If we don’t have a European researcher of this level to hire from the Commission, it means that we have a big problem with all European academic systems”.