Shortly before the summer recess, there is excitement in Brussels about a personal matter: ironically, a former US government official and adviser to Amazon and Apple should be monitoring these internet giants on behalf of the European Union. Fiona Scott Morton will take up the role in Brussels’ powerful Directorate-General for Competition in September. But there is resistance, also among German politicians.
The EU Commission refers to Scott Morton’s top profile. She is an economics professor at America’s elite Yale University and was responsible for antitrust law at the US Department of Justice under President Barack Obama from 2011 to 2012. The American made the best figure by far in the interviews for the post, emphasizes a committee spokeswoman.
As chief economist in the competition directorate of the European Commission, Scott Morton would in future help ensure that Google, Apple and Facebook do not abuse their market power. In recent years, the Brussels government, led by Ursula von der Leyen, has already imposed record fines on the internet giants.
Consulting agreements with Apple and Amazon
Will Von der Leyen hire the American professor as a lobbyist for exactly these tech companies? This is evident from American media reports in recent years. Thereafter, while working for the US government, Scott Morton did not disclose any consulting contracts with the likes of Apple and Amazon.
In France in particular, the Scott Morton case is causing a stir: there is talk of a “scandal” and even an “annexation of our continent by the North Americans”. But French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna also criticized the staff decision: “Internet regulation is a central issue for France and for Europe,” she wrote on Twitter. The EU Commission must therefore “reconsider” the nomination.
According to Brussels, these are by no means just anti-American reflexes from France. “We are skeptical about the staff in terms of conflict of interest,” said Rasmus Andresen, who represents the German Greens in the European Parliament’s Economics Committee. “Fiona Scott Morton has advised major companies such as Apple, Amazon and Microsoft over the past few years, including on antitrust issues.”
Complaints about “Gift to the USA”
According to AFP information, several EU commissioners have also complained to von der Leyen about the “gift to the US”. A spokeswoman for the German head of the Commission assures that Scott Morton will not be involved with the competition directorate “in files she handled in her previous position” to avoid conflicts of interest.
However, German GreenLeft politician Andresen considers that completely unrealistic: “That would lead to the absurd scenario that the chief economist of the authority would be left out in important cases,” he says. He also calls this approach “very problematic” in view of future cases. With a new law for digital markets, the EU wants to keep the internet giants even more in check.
The last word on Scott Morton’s case has not yet been spoken. Because her contract has not yet been signed, as the EU Commission says.
Source: Krone
I’m Ben Stock, a journalist and author at Today Times Live. I specialize in economic news and have been working in the news industry for over five years. My experience spans from local journalism to international business reporting. In my career I’ve had the opportunity to interview some of the world’s leading economists and financial experts, giving me an insight into global trends that is unique among journalists.
