Phil Hogan bows to inevitable and resigns as EU trade commissioner

Phil Hogan has resigned his position as EU trade commissioner after a week of controversy over his attendance at the Oireachtas golf event in Clifden.

Phil Hogan bowed to the inevitable and resigned his position as EU trade commissioner after a week of controversy over his attendance at the Oireachtas golf event.

Taoiseach Micheál Martin and the Government said the “correct decision” has been taken to put an end to this week-old scandal even if it was a difficult one for Mr Hogan personally.

Following a day of discussions with European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen, Mr Hogan said he came to the conclusion that he must tender his resignation to end the maelstrom of scandal which had engulfed him for the past seven days.

Mr Hogan said that he knows that "this could be the end of the political chapter" of his life, but insisted that he resigned and was not sacked by Ms von der Leyen.

"I resigned myself," said Mr Hogan. "I'm somebody that has been a public servant for almost 40 years, I know how to take responsibility. In fact, I've done it before, 25 years ago.

"So, nobody has to tell me at the end of the day when the experience that I've gained over that number of years have led me politically to believe what is the right thing to do."

Mr Hogan resigned his €270,000 a year job before being asked to do so by Ms von der Leyen but insisted last night he “broke no law”.

“I broke no law when I went to Ireland. I broke no regulations, but I could have adhered better to the guidelines. The fact that I made these mistakes was a sufficient distraction from the job that I was doing, and for the work of the Commission,” he said.

“And I have meditated on this very seriously in the last few days and I've come to the conclusion that I should remove this distraction. After almost 40 years in public life in Ireland and in Europe, I've come to the reluctant, come to the conclusion that this sort of distraction around my visit to Ireland was going to continue and continue, and therefore I should resign and take myself away from this work.” 

Mr Hogan said he “deeply regretted” his trip to Ireland.

“I reiterate my heartfelt apology to the Irish people for the mistakes I made during my visit. The Irish people have made incredible efforts to contain the coronavirus, and the European Commission will continue to support you, and all EU member states, in defeating this terrible pandemic,” he said.

Ms von der Leyen issued a terse statement confirming her acceptance of his resignation.

Simon Coveney: Seen as the favourite to replace Phil Hogan. Picture: PA

Back home, the Taoiseach, Tánaiste Leo Varadkar, and Minister Eamon Ryan released a joint statement, saying it was the correct decision.

“We acknowledge the resignation of Mr Phil Hogan and while this must have been a difficult decision for him personally, we believe that it is the correct course of action given the circumstances of the past week," said the statement. "We all have a responsibility to support and adhere to public health guidelines and regulations. 

“We all must persevere in our efforts against Covid 19. Former Commissioner Hogan has served Europe and Ireland with distinction. The government will consider his replacement in due course,” added the statement.

The Opposition welcomed the decision of Mr Hogan to stand down.

Labour leader Alan Kelly said he welcomed the decision.

“This action is five days overdue and has resulted in enormous damage to our effort to tackle Covid-19," said Mr Kelly. "It was clear from a very early stage that he had to go, such was the level of public anger at the flagrant breach of Covid-19 regulations at the Oireachtas golf event and non-compliance with the 14-day isolation period.

“The Government needs to move quickly to fill the vacancy that now arises in the EU Commission at what is a critical moment for Ireland."

Attention has already turned to who will replace Mr Hogan with Foreign Affairs Minister Simon Coveney seen as the favourite.

It has been made clear that Fine Gael will retain the right to nominate his successor.

Senior Government sources have made clear that Fianna Fáil will have the right to nominate Ireland’s next commissioner proper in 2024 if the Coalition is still in office.

Dublin has made it known to Brussels that it would be keen to retain the trade portfolio and for that to happen a person of sufficient stature and credibility would have to be proposed.

The Tánaiste is not in line for the post as he due to retake the post of Taoiseach in 2022 and Finance Minister Paschal Donohoe has just won the presidency of the Eurogroup, thereby ruling him out.

“It would have to be a prime minister or deputy prime minister or very senior minister who is well-known and regarded in Brussels," said one minister. "It won’t be Leo as he wants to be Taoiseach again so the only person who really has that sort of clout is Coveney.” 

Former minister Richard Bruton’s name has also been mentioned given his extensive ministerial experience and reputation for being a safe pair of hands.