EU commissioners warned to ‘be vigilant’ after Covid-flouting colleague resigns

Phil Hogan apparently broke three of Ireland’s coronavirus lockdown orders

Phil Hogan tendered his resignation on Wednesday. AP/file

European commissioners were warned on Thursday that they must follow local coronavirus laws after one of their number resigned over a golf club dinner attended by 80 guests.

Trade commissioner Phil Hogan had resigned the night before, after days of pressure, for three alleged breaches of Irish Covid-19 guidelines – going to the golf club dinner, breaking quarantine for new arrivals, and failing to limit his travel in Ireland.

European Commission President Ursula Von der Leyen reminded commissioners to obey regional measures to tackle coronavirus, and talked to Ireland about Mr Hogan’s possible replacement.

"Over the past days, I discussed with Phil Hogan about his movements in Ireland, in light of information that emerged regarding respect of public health guidelines in Ireland," Ms Von der Leyen said.

“In the current circumstances, as Europe fights to reduce the spread of the coronavirus and Europeans make sacrifices and accept painful restrictions, I expect the members of the College to be particularly vigilant about compliance with applicable national or regional rules or recommendations.”

Ursula von der Leyen removes her mask at a news conference in Brussels. AP/pool

The commission college is the EU's executive cabinet, comprised of one representative from each of the 27 member states.

An EU spokeswoman said the president expected each commissioner to be particularly vigilant in following conditions at the local levels. “We will make sure they have all the information that is necessary,” she added.

She did not say whether Mr Hogan’s case set a precedent that meant other commissioners might have to resign if they broke local Covid-19 restrictions.

According to EU rules, Ireland must be given the first chance to fill the vacated role and should offer up one male and one female candidate.

European Commission Vice-President Valdis Dombrovskis, a former Latvian prime minister, will assume temporary responsibility for trade after Mr Hogan’s departure.

In his resignation letter, Mr Hogan said he understood the harm he had caused.

"I deeply regret that my trip to Ireland – the country that I have been so proud to represent as a public servant for most of my adult life – caused such concern, unease and upset," he said.

“As a public representative, I should have been more rigorous in my adherence to the Covid guidelines.”

Last week, Irish Health Minister Stephen Donnelly said the republic was “at the tipping point” after weekly coronavirus cases surged from 61 a few weeks ago to 533.

There are restrictions on social gatherings indoors and the number of people allowed to attend outdoor events, including sports, has been reduced from 200 to 15.

Those aged over 70 are again being asked to stay at home as much as possible and people are encouraged to work remotely.

There have been around 28,000 known cases of Covid-19 in Ireland and more than 1,700 deaths.