The European Commission is now examining whether Phil Hogan should have told it earlier that he was taking up a new role with lobby legal firm DLA Piper.
The Kilkenny man resigned as Trade Commissioner in August of last year following the ‘golfgate controversy’ and earlier this month the law firm in Brussels revealed his new role with them.
The ethics committee requires former commissioners to inform the EU of any potential conflicts of interest that arise during a two-year “cooling-off period”.
In a press briefing at the European Commission on Friday EU Spokesperson for Budget and Human Resources Balazs Ujvari says the commission had already authorised the former Commissioner for certain activities.
And he said they are in discussions with Phil Hogan about this latest development.
