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Former Irish EU Commissioner Phil Hogan has hinted that he might be tempted by a lucrative career in global business and political consulting.
In his first public engagement in nearly two months, Hogan made only a brief reference to his forced resignation on Aug. 26, following controversy surrounding his attending a political golf outing and dinner at Clifden amid restrictions current Covid 19.
Addressing a MacGill School online session, he noted that he had last addressed this event in 2018.
“Much has changed since then, and certainly 2020 has been a year like no other, and not least for me!” Mr. Hogan pointed.
The former EU agriculture and trade commissioner delivered a comprehensive speech covering the three pressing issues of Covid 19; Brexit; and future EU-US relations.
He strongly criticized the government’s failures to improve direct ferry connections with Europe to counter the dangerous dependence of exporters on connections through the UK.
At Covid, he praised the EU’s overall response, but urged more cooperation to reopen air travel through rapid testing and airport tracing. On Brexit, he predicted that the UK will make a limited trade deal that can be improved in the coming years.
But he was also scathingly critical of the Irish government’s efforts to counter the heavy reliance of carriers on “land” links to Europe via the UK. He said developments like the Rosslare ferry port were “urgent and necessary to protect our exports, but the Irish government was” lethargic “about it.
At Covid 19, he pointed to the strong moves by the EU earlier this year to successfully ensure that drug, food and beverage supply chains remain open. He said the EU was poised to lead a post-virus economic recovery with plans for a € 750 billion virus recovery fund as part of an overall budget package worth € 1.8 trillion by 2027.
He said he regretted the difficulties in agreeing details between EU governments and the European Parliament to release this money and urged both sides to reach an early compromise.
On EU-US trade relations In the US, Hogan noted that the outlook is quite optimistic once the presidential election ends on November 3. He noted that in his last days in the EU office he had concluded “a mini EU-US trade agreement.” tariffs for the first time in 20 years and he hopes this trend can continue and expand.
The session was led by Professor Brigid Laffan, the renowned Irish scholar who heads the European University Institute in Florence, Italy. At the close of the proceeding, he asked Mr. Hogan about his future plans.
“I have not reached any conclusion on this. It is the first time in about 38 years that I have a little respite and I will make the most of it until the end of the year, “he said.
“But I have had many contacts from around the world from various people who wanted to talk to me. All I advised them was to make their presentations and I will take a good look at them, but not until January 1, 2021, “he continued.
“So if you know someone in the Italian region, Brigid, interested in a man with enormous experience and a good address book, I am your man,” he joked.
Online editors
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