Budapest Post

Cum Deo pro Patria et Libertate
Budapest, Europe and world news

EU trade chief Phil Hogan resigns over coronavirus ‘Golfgate’ backlash

EU trade chief Phil Hogan resigns over coronavirus ‘Golfgate’ backlash

Commissioner Phil Hogan was under growing pressure to quit after attending golf dinner in Ireland that violated Covid-19 restrictions.

The European Union’s trade chief, Phil Hogan, has resigned after growing criticism that he broke virus regulations in his native Ireland.

“This evening I have tendered my resignation as EU trade commissioner to the president of the European Commission, Dr Ursula von der Leyen,” he said in a statement.

“It was becoming increasingly clear that the controversy concerning my recent visit to Ireland was becoming a distraction from my work as an EU commissioner and would undermine my work in the key months ahead.”

It will be up to his boss to accept his resignation. Hogan was under growing pressure over his attendance at a golf dinner last week that violated coronavirus regulations as well as his behaviour during quarantine.


European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen speaks with European Commissioner for Trade Phil Hogan in Brussels in January.


The move came a day after Ireland’s government said that Hogan’s “delayed and hesitant” response undermined public confidence. The commission had no immediate comment. The Irish Independent was first to report the news.

Hogan’s planned resignation comes at a sensitive time in trade negotiations. The EU will have to fill a key post that has become even more high profile as a result of US President Donald Trump’s “America First” challenge to the global commercial order and a pandemic-induced shock to supply chains.

Hogan spent day trying to put the scandal behind him to no avail as Irish media kept reporting new potential breaches.

He apologised repeatedly for attending the dinner in Ireland during the pandemic, an event under police investigation for being in breach of rules and forced a minister to resign. The trade chief accepted he should not have gone, but reiterated he had been assured it complied with virus restrictions.

He lost more support after a testy interview with the national broadcaster on Tuesday that was designed to put the matter behind him. Instead it made matters worse when he insisted he had not broken any rules when he left his self-isolation for a “medical intervention” six days after arriving in the country.

The rules stipulate that travellers to the country must self-isolate for 14 days.

“It is clear that breaches of public health guidelines were made by Commissioner Hogan since he travelled to Ireland,” Ireland’s Prime Minister Micheal Martin, Leo Varadkar, the deputy prime minister, and Green coalition partner Eamon Ryan said in response to his television appearance.

“People are correctly angered by these actions given the sacrifices so many have made to adhere to public health guidance.”

His departure will create all sorts of headaches for the EU’s executive arm as it gets ready to go back to work.

With Hogan as its point person, the EU has been pushing the Trump administration to scrap controversial tariffs on steel and aluminium, ward off threats of more US duties on European goods including cars and negotiate a settlement to a long-standing transatlantic fight over aircraft subsidies.

The 27-nation bloc is also seeking to prop up the World Trade Organisation after its ability to adjudicate disputes was hobbled by Washington, expand a free-trade push by reaching tariff-cutting deals with Australia and New Zealand and achieve a breakthrough in negotiations to open the Chinese market more to foreign investors.

On August 21, Hogan and his US counterpart Robert Lighthizer announced a limited tariff-cutting accord and signalled the deal could pave the way for a broader improvement in transatlantic trade relations.


Irish Prime Minister Micheal Martin speaks during a school visit in Dublin on Wednesday.


That US$200 million deal, which includes an EU pledge to eliminate tariffs on American lobster, came hours after the European Commission led by President Ursula von der Leyen expressed support for Hogan in the controversy over the golf dinner.

There is also the fact that this is a new commission, and losing such a key figure will shake confidence in its executive. It’s also unusual for EU commissioners to step aside. The most striking case was in 1999 when the whole European Commission under Jacques Santer resigned because of a scandal involving a French appointee.

Von der Leyen, a German ally of Chancellor Angela Merkel, may be forced by Hogan’s resignation to shuffle her team of EU commissioners once Ireland proposes a new appointee.

Von der Leyen is responsible for assigning portfolios to commissioners, of whom there is one from every member country. She may prefer to hand the trade role to one of the commissioners now handling other policy matters.

AI Disclaimer: An advanced artificial intelligence (AI) system generated the content of this page on its own. This innovative technology conducts extensive research from a variety of reliable sources, performs rigorous fact-checking and verification, cleans up and balances biased or manipulated content, and presents a minimal factual summary that is just enough yet essential for you to function as an informed and educated citizen. Please keep in mind, however, that this system is an evolving technology, and as a result, the article may contain accidental inaccuracies or errors. We urge you to help us improve our site by reporting any inaccuracies you find using the "Contact Us" link at the bottom of this page. Your helpful feedback helps us improve our system and deliver more precise content. When you find an article of interest here, please look for the full and extensive coverage of this topic in traditional news sources, as they are written by professional journalists that we try to support, not replace. We appreciate your understanding and assistance.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Altman Says GPT-5 Already Outpaces Him, Warns AI Could Automate 40% of Work
Russian Research Vessel 'Yantar' Tracked Mapping Europe’s Subsea Cables, Raising Security Alarms
Global Cruise Industry Posts Dramatic Comeback with 34.6 Million Passengers in 2024
U.S. Demands Brussels Scrutinize Digital Rules to Prevent Bias Against American Tech
Private Equity’s Fundraising Surge Triggers Concern of European Market Shake-Out
Tokyo’s Jimbōchō Named World’s Coolest Neighbourhood for 2025
European Officials Fear Trump May Shift Blame for Ukraine War onto EU
The Personality Rights Challenge in India’s AI Era
Italy Considers Freezing Retirement Age at 67 to Avert Scheduled Hike
Italian City to Impose Tax on Visiting Dogs Starting in 2026
Study Finds No Safe Level of Alcohol for Dementia Risk
Trump Says Ukraine Can Fully Restore Borders with NATO Backing
Europe Signals Stronger Support for Taiwan at Major Taipei Defence Show
Germany Weighs Excluding France from Key European Fighter Jet Programme
Cyberattack Disrupts Check-in and Boarding Systems at Major European Airports
Björn Borg Breaks Silence: Memoir Reveals Addiction, Shame and Cancer Battle
When Extremism Hijacks Idealism: How the Baader-Meinhof Gang Emerged and Fell
JWST Data Brings TRAPPIST-1e Closer to Earth-Like Habitability
Trump Orders $100,000 Fee on H-1B Visas and Launches ‘Gold Card’ Immigration Pathway
France’s Looming Budget Crisis and Political Fracture Raise Fears of Becoming Europe’s “Sick Man”
Three Russian MiG-31 Jets Breach Estonian Airspace in ‘Unprecedentedly Brazen’ NATO Incident
European manufacturers against ban on polluting cars: "The industry may collapse"
Turkish car manufacturer Togg Enters German Market with 5-Star Electric Sedan and SUV to Challenge European EV Brands
Christian Brueckner Released from German Prison after Serving Unrelated Sentence
World’s Longest Direct Flight China Eastern to Launch 29-Hour Shanghai–Buenos Aires Direct Flight via Auckland in December
New OpenAI Study Finds Majority of ChatGPT Use Is Personal, Not Professional
The conservative right spreads westward: a huge achievement for 'Alternative for Germany' in local elections
Pope Leo Warns of Societal Crisis Over Mega-CEO Pay, Citing Tesla’s Proposed Trillion-Dollar Package
Poland Green-Lights NATO Deployment in Response to Major Russian Drone Incursion
U.S. and China Agree on Framework to Shift TikTok to American Ownership
Le Pen Tightens the Pressure on Macron as France Edges Toward Political Breakdown
Czech Republic signs €1.34 billion contract for Leopard 2A8 main battle tanks with delivery from 2028
Penske Media Sues Google Over “AI Overviews,” Claiming It Uses Journalism Without Consent and Destroys Traffic
Indian Student Engineers Propose “Project REBIRTH” to Protect Aircraft from Crashes Using AI, Airbags and Smart Materials
One in Three Europeans Now Uses TikTok, According to the Chinese Tech Giant
Could AI Nursing Robots Help Healthcare Staffing Shortages?
NATO Deploys ‘Eastern Sentry’ After Russian Drones Violate Polish Airspace
The New Life of Novak Djokovic
German police raid AfD lawmaker’s offices in inquiry over Chinese payments
Volkswagen launches aggressive strategy to fend off Chinese challenge in Europe’s EV market
France Erupts in Mass ‘Block Everything’ Protests on New PM’s First Day
Poland Shoots Down Russian Drones in Airspace Violation During Ukraine Attack
Apple Introduces Ultra-Thin iPhone Air, Enhanced 17 Series and New Health-Focused Wearables
Macron Appoints Sébastien Lecornu as Prime Minister Amid Budget Crisis and Political Turmoil
Vatican hosts first Catholic LGBTQ pilgrimage
Apple Unveils iPhone 17 Series, iPhone Air, Apple Watch 11 and More at 'Awe Dropping' Event
France joins Eurozone’s ‘periphery’ as turmoil deepens, say investors
France Faces New Political Crisis, again, as Prime Minister Bayrou Pushed Out
Nayib Bukele Points Out Belgian Hypocrisy as Brussels Considers Sending Army into the Streets
France, at an Impasse, Heads Toward Another Government Collapse
×