Ireland’s new European commissioner Phil Hogan reported a “very good meeting” with Jean-Claude Juncker as the former Luxembourg premier prepares to assign portfolios in the incoming EU executive.

Mr Juncker is expected to unveil his team next Tuesday, and Mr Hogan met him yesterday in Brussels for 40 minutes.

Their talks came as a leaked document linked Mr Hogan with the agriculture portfolio, one of the posts Taoiseach Enda Kenny had sought for the new Irish commissioner. Mr Hogan had no comment on that last night.

Mr Juncker’s spokeswoman said he was on the 54th draft model of the new commission.

“I had a very good meeting with the president of the European Commission,” Mr Hogan said.

‘Able to deliver’

“He acknowledged the conversations he has had in recent months with the Taoiseach regarding an important portfolio for the Irish nominee and he hoped that he’d be able to deliver on that when the official announcement is made next week.”

Asked whether he discussed specific portfolios with Mr Juncker, Mr Hogan said: “He certainly indicated that there will be an allocation of portfolio that will reflect the request of the Taoiseach for a post in the jobs and investment area, which includes agriculture.”

Mr Juncker’s spokeswoman said the incoming commission chief had been working to allocate portfolios since the end of July. “I can of course neither confirm nor deny the authenticity of a document which has not been published via official channels,” she said.

“The only thing that is clear at this stage is that no decision on portfolios will be taken before mid-next week.”

The leaked model of the new Commission suggests former French finance minister Pierre Moscovici might be assigned the powerful competition portfolio, in defiance of expectations that he would take the economic post previously held Olli Rehn.

Instead, the draft links the economic post with former Finnish prime minister Jyrki Katainen, who has held it on a temporary basis since Mr Rehn was elected to the European Parliament in May.

The document also suggests the internal markets portfolio, previously held by Charlie McCreevy, might be scrapped as Mr Juncker reorganises the 28-member Commission.

German commissioner Günther Oettinger would move to trade from energy, according to the draft. The trade portfolio is hugely important as talks are under way on a trade deal between the EU and US.