| Stéphane Séjourné’s success as the new French European Commission Executive Vice President (EVP) for prosperity and industrial policy is marred with challenges – but if coordination holds strong within the College, a true EU industrial policy could really see the light of day. Séjourné’s nomination, which comes after a rather hectic 24 hours, comes with high expectations. Not only must he fill the shoes of his predecessor, Thierry Breton, who resigned abruptly on Monday, throwing a communications tantrum on his way out, but he must also find ways to smooth-talk fellow commissioners into following Paris' views. Given the circumstances of his nomination, it is fair to say that high obstacles are standing in his way. Séjourné’s role seems to cover a lot of grounds – the whole competitiveness ‘lifespan’ – but it still somewhat feels relatively minor in breadth compared to his predecessor. Unlike Breton, the newly-appointed 39-year-old will not oversee tech and space policy, both of which were handed over to surprise Finnish EVP nominee Henna Virkkunen. A far heavier loss is, however, defence policy, which French President Emmanuel Macron often claimed as his birthright. Defence will now have to be shared with other commissioners, and the term only appears once in Séjourné’s mission letter. How he plays his card to ensure he keeps an eye on such crucial topics and brings them into his ‘competitiveness’ purview remains to be seen. He might want to learn a trick or two there from Breton, who had managed to carve out – sometimes forcefully – a space so critical in the previous College he virtually ran industrial policy. Other challenges of a more political nature are thrown in Séjourné’s way. | 