The Government will not bow to Ursula von der Leyen’s demand for a second candidate to fill Ireland’s place on the European Commission, along with the name of the former minister for finance Michael McGrath, Taoiseach Simon Harris has said.
Defending the nomination of Mr McGrath, Mr Harris said the European Union treaties “do allow member states to decide their commissioner, and I do think it’s important that we have that right to adhere to the treaties”.
Saying that it was his “absolute determination” to work closely with Ms von der Leyen, he said he believed the EC president is “a fair person who will want to assemble the best team”.
Speaking after her re-election as head of the commission on Thursday, Ms von der Leyen said she would ask countries to put forward two names, a man and a woman, as their nominees.
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Questioned about her demand, Mr Harris said Ireland has in the past sent two names, or one.
“There’s been occasions when we’ve sent one name and that’s been a female. Or one name, who was a man. On this occasion, we are sending the name of Michael McGrath. That’s not to be in any way disrespectful to the view of the president,” he said on the margins of the Patrick MacGill Summer School in Glenties, Co Donegal.
Describing the former Fianna Fáil minister “as a politician of real substance who can make a real impact” in the commission, Mr Harris indicated that it would not have been appropriate to include him in a list of two names to Ms von der Leyen.
“We’ve just asked our finance minister to not be the finance minister. He has stepped down from Cabinet and he’s now preparing very intensively. I think it’s important to provide him with that certainty as he does that as well,” he declared.
Ms von der Leyen is understood to have been annoyed at the decision of 10 of Ireland’s 14 MEPs - including the four Fianna Fáil MEPs, to vote against her nomination to lead the Brussels executive..
Judging by his remarks, Mr Harris shares some of the irritation, noting there had been an agreement amongst the European People’s Party (EPP), the Socialists group, the Greens and Renew, which includes Fianna Fáil, to vote for Ms von der Leyen. Fine Gael is a member of the EPP.
“I think when there’s a coalition agreement at European level, it’s important that that agreement is honoured. The Renew group was part of that coalition. Individual MEPs decided to defy that view. That’s for them and their party,” he said.
“Sometimes here in this country there’s an attempt to distort the support base for President von der Leyen to suggest it’s only the EPP. We’re very proud of her. It’s actually a much broader coalition. That sometimes gets lost.”
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