Something extraordinary has happened in Brussels
Cartoon by Ian Knox in The Irish News
Asa Bennett, Brexit Commissioning Editor The Daily Telegraph writes
Something extraordinary has happened in Brussels: a European commissioner has resigned after doing some wrong.
Typically, senior Eurocrats are able to tough out whatever firestorm they find themselves in, encouraging their critics to conclude all the more strongly how unaccountable they are.
Such a mindset explains why memories remain emblazoned on the Brussels psyche of Jacques Santer resigning as Commission president back in the Nineties – taking those appointed by the member states to serve with him – after his administration had been mired in accusations of corruption, misuse of power and fraud.
So what has happened now? Far less dramatic accusations have forced Phil Hogan to resign as trade commissioner, namely his attendance of a golf dinner in Ireland’s County Galway which breached coronavirus rules.
The 80-strong gathering, a number well in excess of permissible restrictions, had already resulted in a number of senior figures resigning, including Ireland’s agriculture minister.
And now the man Ireland sent into the corridors of power in Brussels is going with them. His “mistakes”, as he put it to RTE, were a “distraction from the job that I was doing and for the work of the Commission.” He made clear in a statement on the Commission website that he understood the “sense of hurt and anger” Irish citizens feel when they believe “those in public service do not meet the standards expected of them” – but added “it is important to state that I did not break any law. As a public representative I should have been more rigorous in my adherence to the Covid guidelines.”
– What next for Eire with Phil Ho-gone? –
Ireland’s man in Brussels had been a big figure, not just physically (at 6ft5), but politically.
After serving with the agricultural brief, his promotion to be trade commissioner was seen as a big coup for the Irish, and a sign of how closely their concerns would continue to be taken amid the post-Brexit trade negotiations.
His record was neatly summed up in a valedictory message by Martin Selmayr, the notorious former Commission secretary-general who served at the right hand of Jean-Claude Juncker: “Big Phil was a key actor over the past five years. Without him there would have been no EU-Japan agreement, no Juncker-Trump soybeans deal. He made a mistake, true. But he served Europe remarkably. Thanks a lot Phil, you leave big shoes to fill.”
The Irish Government has to mull over who it might send to replace him. A sitting politician – such as Leo Varadkar or Simon Coveney – would spark a by-election, which could be a strain on the nascent coalition. So former ambassadors may be less problematic in the search for a successor. Then it remains to be seen whether they can expect to take up as important a brief as the one “Big Phil” had, or whether they’ll have to settle for something smaller on Ursula von der Leyen’s team.
– What does this mean for Brexit? –
The question many readers will inevitably ponder is how Mr Hogan’s departure will affect the Brexit negotiations.
Boris Johnson will undoubtedly be relieved to see him humbled by events given what a vociferous Brexit critic he proved to be. When “Big Phil” was not mocking the Prime Minister’s “gamesmanship”, he was bandying about potential compromises the UK could make – such as on fishing – to secure concessions for other areas like the financial sector.
Needless to say, the ongoing stalemate after seven rounds of post-Brexit negotiations tells you all you need to know about how eagerly Mr Hogan’s ideas have been taken up.
– Berlin adds to the drama –
Of course, many Brexiteers would be sceptical of how much sway the Irish actually have, given the long-founded belief that Germany calls all the shots.
If so, they will not be encouraged by the headline on the front page of today’s Guardian – “Germany scraps Brexit talks after ‘wasted’ summer of no progress”.
Despite its dramatic billing, the Germans haven’t actually stopped Michel Barnier and David Frost from speaking anymore. Instead, they have used their position as holders of the rotating EU presidency to decide there has not been enough progress on the future relationship negotiations to merit discussion at a high-level diplomatic meeting next week among EU ambassadors – more of a talking shop than a decision-making body.
Eurocrats may not be planning to discuss Brexit officially, but that has not stopped them from moaning at length about how awkward the British are being, with one offering trash talk like this: “It would be futile to wait for a white knight from Paris or Berlin to come to the rescue.”
Brexiteers will recognise this from the tried-and-tested Brussels playbook, making the most of scheduling and deadlines in order to try and pile the pressure on their British counterparts.
Such huffing and puffing from the corridors of Brussels, and the humbling of Ireland’s voluble Brexit critic, will only steel Mr Johnson’s resolve in his bid to seal the deal in this final furlong of the process.
Courtesy The Daily Telegraph
First published 27 August 2020
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