France receives EU industry portfolio after Breton's resignation

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen nominated France's Stéphane Séjourné on Tuesday to be an executive vice president for industrial strategy in her next commission.

Séjourné, the outgoing French foreign minister, was put forward by Paris after the abrupt resignation of former EU internal market commissioner Thierry Breton.

Breton alleged that von der Leyen had asked French President Emmanuel Macron to nominate another candidate in a "political trade-off" for a more influential portfolio in her commission line-up.

France has prioritized industrial, technological and economic portfolios in the formation of the new commission, which is being assembled following European Parliament elections in June.