French President Emmanuel Macron has emerged weaker on the European stage after agreeing to yield to Ursula von der Leyen and sacrifice his heavyweight EU Commission nominee, Thierry Breton, experts say.

President Emmanuel Macron is in talks with the European Commission to carve out a new, more powerful position for France that would see his nominee overseeing all of the bloc’s efforts to boost its competitiveness.

French President Emmanuel Macron has proposed Stephane Sejourne, the outgoing foreign minister and close ally, to replace Thierry Breton as the EU commissioner. Breton announced his resignation from the Commission and stated he would not be a candidate for the next EU executive body.