FILE PHOTO: European Trade Commissioner-designate Phil Hogan of Ireland speaks as he attends his hearing before the European Parliament in Brussels, Belgium September 30, 2019. REUTERS/Yves Herman
BRUSSELS (Reuters) – European Trade Commissioner Phil Hogan confirmed on Tuesday that he was considering a bid to become the next director-general of the World Trade Organization, a post that will become vacant at start of September.
“Certainly I am exploring the option of being a candidate for the director-general of the WTO. I think that there is an important amount of work to be done to reform the organization, to make it more effective and efficient, but also to deal with many of the trade issues that are bedeviling the international community now arising from COVID-19,” he said.
Reporting by Philip Blenkinsop