Anthony Whelan, a former adviser to Commission president Ursula von der Leyen, has been appointed to lead the EU's powerful competition directorate. The Irish official will oversee ongoing probes into Google, Meta, Apple, and X — cases that have drawn criticism from Donald Trump's administration. His appointment signals support for von der Leyen's push to leverage competition rules to help European companies scale up and compete with American and Chinese rivals.

Whelan told the FT that competition enforcement "needs to be even-handed, fact-based" and would not be swayed by political pressure. "When there is more noise, you have to be all the more vigilant about the fact that your cases are well grounded and defendable in court," he said. The role had been vacant since Olivier Guersent's departure last summer.

His selection highlights growing ideological tensions between von der Leyen and Competition Commissioner Teresa Ribera over merger policy. Von der Leyen favors allowing greater market concentration to boost competitiveness, while Ribera prioritizes single market integration. Brussels is currently revising its merger guidelines amid this philosophical divide.