Golfgate: European Commission considers Phil Hogan's report and ‘taking note’ of lockdown breach claims

The European Commission President is committed to a "comprehensive and fair assessment". File picture. 

European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen has “taken note” of statements by the Irish authorities claiming that EU trade commissioner Phil Hogan broke coronavirus lockdown rules.

Mr Hogan maintains he did not break any regulations while home in Ireland but Taoiseach Micheál Martin and other senior members of his Government said it was clear the EU official’s actions breached public health guidance.

European Commission spokeswoman Dana Spinant said Ms von der Leyen was still examining the case after Mr Hogan sent her a 20-page report of his time in Ireland, which included the controversial Oireachtas Golf Society dinner in Clifden, Co Galway.

“It is a detailed report, it’s a report which is public to ensure full transparency about the moves by the commissioner during that period in Ireland,” Ms Spinant told reporters in Brussels.

“The president is in contact with Commissioner Hogan about it.

“On the other hand we have taken note of the statement from Irish authorities… but this is the only thing that we can say at this stage, so once more the president continues considering the matter, she’s examining and assessing carefully on the basis of that report.”

The EU Commission President is committed to making a comprehensive and fair decision on Phil Hogan’s future, according to the spokesperson.

The European Commission refused to say whether Ms von der Leyen maintained the same level of trust in Mr Hogan as when he was appointed trade commissioner.

Ms Spinant said: “The president is in the course of making her assessment, and before making her assessment it is impossible, and I’m not going to enter into any discussion referring (to) trust, confidence, or anything else.

“So, this is where we stand now, we are less than 24 hours following the submission of that detailed report by Commissioner Hogan.

It is important to have a complete and fair assessment of that report, and this is the stage where we are in the process.

“I have nothing else to announce in relation to how the president feels about this measure before she completes her assessment.”

Public Health Undermined

Mr Martin said it is clear Mr Hogan broke public health guidelines in place to prevent the spread of Covid-19 in Ireland.

Speaking from a Dublin school on Wednesday, Mr Martin refused to be drawn on whether Mr Hogan should resign, adding that he will not seek to “influence or interfere” with Ms von der Leyen’s investigation.

“It is a decision for the president of the commission within the legal frameworks that she has to operate within,” Mr Martin said.

“In respect of his role as a European Union commissioner, I said this before, the Tanaiste (Leo Varadkar) has said it, he’s performed well as the commissioner and that’s not something I’m going to resile from in terms of his performance as commissioner.

In the context of attending the dinner, in the context of the various other breaches, I think he’s undermined the whole approach to public health in Ireland.

Mr Martin also said the Government had to make the public’s anger known to the commission over accusations Mr Hogan breached guidelines.

He denied that he or any Irish Government official has contacted Ms von der Leyen about the matter, adding: “I think one of the big challenges here and difficulties has been the changing narrative around the commissioner’s movements and the degree to which he breached or didn’t breach guidelines.

“Now we are very clear on all three fronts he breached the guidelines.

“That has been a difficulty in terms of confidence in the story and that’s why we sought a comprehensive statement and why we sought an interview.

“He was not correct yesterday in his assertions around having taken a test that absolves you from having to restrict your movements. It didn’t. You have to continue to restrict your movements for the 14-day period.”

Meanwhile, Independent TD Verona Murphy has said that Ireland needs to retain the Trade portfolio at the EU Commission, not to do so would be commercial suicide, she warned.

“Do we cut off our nose to spite our face at a time of the most crucial talks,” she told RTÉ radio’s Claire Byrne show.

It would not serve anybody to “throw the baby out with the bathwater”, doing so would mean Ireland was heading into the Brexit negotiations with no Commissioner, she said.

“It will not serve the country if there is no Commissioner in the Brexit negotiations. We need to hold that portfolio. We will suffer as a country if we don’t retain this.” 

Ms Murphy said she fully understood the emotions and anger of the public at Mr Hogan’s actions. 

The optics of the Oireachtas golf society event seemed to suggest that “there was one law for us and one law for them”.

Everyone had a right to be angry about this, she said. 

But the resignation of Mr Hogan would be equivalent to commercial suicide. The cost to Ireland would be disproportionate, she said.