EU top trade official Phil Hogan resigns

The European Union’s Trade Commissioner, Phil Hogan, announced his resignation late Wednesday after he became embroiled in a controversy over a recent trip home to Ireland and questionable adherence to COVID-19 rules.

The move will force the EU's executive office into a reshuffle in the midst of the pandemic crisis.

“This evening I have tendered my resignation as EU Trade Commissioner," Hogan 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," he added.

THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. AP’s earlier story follows below.

Irish media say the European Union’s Trade Commissioner, Phil Hogan, is resigning after he became embroiled in a controversy over a recent trip home to Ireland and questionable adherence to COVID-19 rules.

The move came as EU Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen assessed whether he could still stay in his job after he sent her a report about his travel and social functions over the past weeks, including a golf society dinner he has apologized for.

Phone calls to the EU Commission to confirm the reports were not immediately returned.

Hogan has come under fire in his home country amid allegations he skirted rules other Irish citizens have to live by. The EU has consistently underscored the importance of adhering to all restrictions imposed by the member countries, and turning a blind eye to infractions by its own top officials would undermine that effort.

Hogan holds an important position in the bloc’s executive Commission, as he is the key person dealing with international trade issues, like commercial agreements with the United States or future relations with Britain, which officially left the EU on Jan. 31.

The scandal was fueled further by changes in Hogan’s account of his actions, as he issued a series of statements about his travel and adherence to the rules Ireland had imposed.

(Image Credit: AP)