Macron Picks Bank of France’s Goulard as EU Commissioner

(Bloomberg) -- French President Emmanuel Macron has proposed Bank of France Deputy Governor Sylvie Goulard as the country’s candidate for the post of EU commissioner, an official from the president’s office said on Wednesday.

Macron chose the former European lawmaker for her experience and EU network, the official said. Goulard, 54, was an EU lawmaker from 2009 to 2017. France is seeking a broad energy and climate portfolio or a trade portfolio, an official in Macron’s office said earlier this year.

Goulard has been deeply involved in EU politics as far back as 1989, when she was part of the French foreign ministry team dealing with German reunification. A graduate of France’s elite Ecole Nationale d’Administration, she served as political adviser to former European Commission President Romano Prodi between 2001 and 2004.

Goulard was briefly French defense minister but stepped down after a few weeks as an investigation began into whether she misused public funds during her time as a European lawmaker. The Elysee palace says Goulard was cleared at the EU level of any wrongdoing. A separate probe by French authorities is still ongoing. Goulard has always denied misusing funds. The decision to choose Goulard was made in consultation with Ursula von der Leyen, the incoming EU Commission chief, the official at the Elysee said.

The new Commission will start in November. The Bank of France declined to comment on whether Goulard would remain at the financial institution until then.

As one of the Bank of France’s deputy governors she kept a low profile and didn’t generally participate directly in European Central Bank policy making. Goulard’s job was widely considered as a stepping stone to a larger role.

To contact the reporter on this story: Helene Fouquet in Paris at hfouquet1@bloomberg.net

To contact the editors responsible for this story: Geraldine Amiel at gamiel@bloomberg.net, James Regan, Vidya Root

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