FranceLink

Verbal spat heats up as French minister slams European Commission chief as useless

Trade minister Nicole Bricq said Jose Manuel Barroso was a poor choice for the job and had achieved nothing in his term of office.

La rédaction de Mediapart

This article is freely available.

To support Mediapart subscribe

A French minister said Friday that European Commission chief Jose Manuel Barroso has achieved nothing, in the latest episode of verbal jousting between France and Brussels, reports RFI.

Trade Minister Nicole Bricq said Barroso was a poor choice for the job.

“I think he has done nothing during his term,” she said on LCI television.

The infighting originally stems from France’s bid to protect the European film and television industry from Hollywood control in free-trade talks with the United States.

But the dispute has escalated into a broader discussion with a stream of verbal jabs coming from both ends.

Earlier this month, Barroso infuriated the French by saying their approach was “extremely reactionary”, comparing it to the anti-globalisation movement.

Read more of this report from RFI.