Following Phil Hogan’s resignation as EU trade Commissioner late Wednesday evening, Iratxe Garcia, S&D leader, said:
“I respect Phil Hogan’s decision to resign from the role of EU Commissioner. We now call on the Irish government to swiftly nominate a new candidate and on Ursula von der Leyen to ensure the good functioning of the EU Commission. People rightly expect the EU to continue working smoothly during this crisis.
“When proposing a candidate, the Irish government should keep in mind that Ursula von der Leyen pledged to lead a gender-balanced Commission. Now is the time to live up to this commitment, and present a woman as the next Irish Commissioner.”
Kathleen Van Brempt, S&D spokesperson on trade, said:
“It was a tough decision for Phil Hogan, but the only right one. People expect politicians to lead by example and everyone has to live up to their responsibility to contain this pandemic.
“With Brexit, mounting trade tensions with the US and China, the urgent need to reform the WTO, and the epochal task of making the Green Deal a reality, we need a strong and safe hand at the trade helm to steer Europe through these turbulent waters.
“We expect the Irish government to present us with a competent female candidate as the next Irish Commissioner.”
