German EU lawmaker Markus Pieper has resigned as European Commission representative for small and medium-sized (SME) enterprises, after his appointment was heavily criticized. Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced Pieper’s resignation late on Monday evening in Brussels. EU lawmakers had previously highlighted Pieper’s membership of von der Leyen’s political party, Germany’s Christian Democratic Union (CDU), as a cause of concern. “The President respects and regrets Markus Pieper’s decision not to take up his post as SME Envoy on April 16 as planned,” said a spokesman for von der …