Yesterday, EU trade commissioner Phil Hogan resigned after the Irish Government accused him of breaching its coronavirus guidelines. Mr Hogan attended a luxury golf dinner with more than 80 people in County Galway on August 19. He was also criticised for not complying with quarantine rules when he arrived in Ireland from Brussels.
Mr Hogan said he did not break any law but he “should have been more rigorous” in adherence to the COVID-19 guidelines.
In a resignation statement, the outgoing commissioner – who would have been leading the EU’s post-Brexit free trade negotiations with the UK – said he regretted his trip to Ireland had “caused such concern, unease and upset”.
He added: “I reiterate my heartfelt apology to the Irish people for the mistakes I made during my visit.”
As a result, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen now faces a potentially messy reshuffle in the middle of a pandemic, as she lost one of the most experienced and influential commissioners.
Ms von der Leyen had entrusted him with the sensitive job of resolving the trade war with US President Donald Trump and negotiating an investment deal with China.
In his previous stint as Agriculture Commissioner, Mr Hogan had proved to be a highly effective negotiator in landing landmark trade deals with Japan and the South American Mercosur bloc.
Ms von der Leyen’s first task now is to find a new commissioner with the calibre to fill the trade job, one of the EU’s portfolios with wide exclusive powers.
According to a recent report by POLITICO, officials and politicians are saying much will depend on who Dublin nominates as Mr Hogan’s successor.
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Another name cited by EU officials is Simon Coveney, currently Ireland’s defence minister.
However, two officials said his nomination could trigger a broader reshuffle with the trade portfolio going to a commissioner from another country, such as Latvia’s Valdis Dombrovskis.
Despite the reshuffle not catching Ms von der Leyen entirely off-guard, as she had already been forced to think about filling the post back in May and June, when Mr Hogan announced he was considering leaving the Commission for the top job at the World Trade Organisation, it still leaves a huge hole in the Commission and could create tensions among EU member states.