Phil Hogan’s cleared the first hurdle in his bid to become a new EU Commissioner.
MEPs at the European Parliament’s Agriculture Committee have voted to approve his appointment as the Commissioner of Agriculture.
His name will now go forward as part of the full team of Commissioners, who’ll face a vote by the entire European Parliament later this month.
Assuming the new Commission is approved, Phil Hogan will take office on November the 1st – and resign his seat as a TD.
That’ll mean a bye-election in Carlow-Kilkenny that’s expected to happen in the spring.