Accidental politician Byrne set to return to law

EU Commissioner David Byrne is likely to return to the legal world when his current term in Brussels ends, he revealed today.

Mr Byrne said he would not seek a second five-year term in his post but would return home to work in the private sector.

The former Attorney General said it had been a difficult decision to step down from the world of European politics but he now felt the time was right to move on.

“I’ve enjoyed the work that I’ve been doing for the past five years, it’s very exciting,” he said.

“Political life is very exciting, the ups and downs of it, and I enjoyed every moment of that but I did believe that the time had now come for me to think long and hard about whether I would continue doing this for another five years.

“On balance, I felt I’d prefer to go back to private life, that’s where I was before I became what might be described as an accidental politician some years ago when I became Attorney General.”

Mr Byrne said he had been involved in politics for almost 10 years and he now felt the time was right to move on.

He said he had first informed Taoiseach Bertie Ahern of his feelings a few months ago and he had wished him well.

“I decided for all kinds of reasons that another five years in Brussels was not the way I wanted to spend my life.

“The logical outcome of that is that I go back and live in Ireland and take up where I left off some years ago.

“I am a trained barrister so it seems logical that I’ll go back into some aspect of that work, I assume.”

Mr Byrne was appointed as European Commissioner for Health and Consumer Protection in September 1999 and will complete his term in office at the end of October.

He qualified as a barrister in 1970 and served as Attorney General in the Government from June 1997 to July 1999, during which time all legislation submitted by the Government to the Dáil was drafted under his supervision.

His principal political contribution was as one of the negotiators of the Good Friday Agreement in April 1998.

He later oversaw the major constitutional amendments required by the Agreement following its approval in a May 1998 referendum.