Hogan confirmed as Agriculture Commissioner
Phil Hogan has been confirmed as the new European Commissioner for Agriculture and Rural Development in the 28-member Commission named by president-elect Jean-Claude Juncker in Brussels this morning.
Speaking after his appointment was confirmed, Mr Hogan said it is a huge honour - and has thanked the Taoiseach for his support.
"Coming from an Irish context it is certainly a great honour to have achieved such a substantive portfolio," Mr Hogan said.
"The Taoiseach Enda Kenny has played a major role with the president of the Commission to ensure that the Irish nominee gets such an important portfolio."
"In these unprecedented times, Europe's citizens expect us to deliver," Mr Juncker said in a statement.
"After years of economic hardship and often painful reforms, Europeans expect a performing economy, sustainable jobs, more social protection, safer borders, energy security and digital opportunities.
" What I present to you today is a political, dynamic and effective European Commission, geared to give Europe its new start. I have given portfolios to people – not to countries. I am putting 27 players in the field, each of whom has a specific role to play – this is my winning team."
The proposed Juncker Commission - which must be ratified by a full plenary sessin of the European Parliament in October - includes fiv former Prime Ministers, four Deputy Prime Ministers, 19 former Ministers, seven returning Commissioners and eight former Members of the European Parliament.
"Eleven of these have a solid economic and finance background, whilst eight have extensive foreign relations experience," the Commission statement continued.
"The Juncker Commission has the necessary expertise to tackle the current economic and geopolitical challenges that Europe is facing."
The news confirms the widely-held expectation that former environment minister Mr Hogan was destined for the plum Agriculture portfolio, which commands some 38% of the Commission's entire budget - over €60bn. The only Irish person to previously hold the office was Ray MacSharry.
However the Commissioners-designate have yet to be ratified, and the appointment of Mr Hogan faces opposition from some quarters, not least owing to controversy over his signing-off of massive consultants' fees at Irish Water.
He will have to go before the European Parliament's agriculture committee, featuring two Irish MEPs - Sinn Féin's Matt Carthy and Luke 'Ming' Flanagan - who are likely to pressure him over spending at the state body.
Despite insisting in January that he was not aware of the level of spending on outside experts by Irish Water, a new document unearthed by RTÉ shows he personally signed off on a letter confirming the full spending costs for the utility in October 2013.
After it emerged at the beginning of 2014 that almost half the €180m start-up costs for Irish Water — €86m — went on outside consultants, Mr Hogan said he did not know how much was spent on consultants as he did not “micro-manage” the organisation.
Meanwhile Irish MEP Nessa Childers has asked nearly 200 socialist colleagues to vote against his ratification as Agriculture Commissioner.
Fine Gael MEP Mairead McGuinness, who is also on the agriculture committee, said all candidates will face a grilling from MEPs.
“Mr Hogan will not face anything different," Ms McGuinness said, "but some Irish MEPs have already made up their minds before hearing his responses to questions, which is disappointing”.
The new Commission is due to take office on November 1.
