UPDATE 9:06am, Tuesday 8 September:
Mairead McGuinness has been confirmed as Ireland’s EU Commissioner and will take on the financial services portfolio. Stay tuned for updates.
Original Story:
The feeling in Brussels is that Mairead McGuinness is a shoe-in to be Phil Hogan’s replacement as the next Irish EU Commissioner.
The current Vice President of the European Parliament, and the government’s other nominee Andrew McDowell, was interviewed for the role by Ursula von der Leyen yesterday.
Inistioge man John Bryan sits on the European Economic and Social Committee in Brussels.
He’s been speaking on The Way It Is with Sue Nunn & said that the Commission President not only wants a woman but also wants something else that Ms McGuinness would bring, noting “The President of the Commission von der Leyen always wanted a more gender balance, she’s a strong favourism for increasing the gender balance in her committee, Mairead McGuinness is a very experienced politician in Europe she comes from the Parliament and if there’s one thing the college of commissioners needs at the moment is support from the Parliament”.
Mr Bryan also believes that we’ll not get Trade back after his fellow Kilkenny man was forced to resign but Mairead McGuinness’s EU experience will get her a better job than any other man coould expect, saying “I don’t know what portfolio she’ll get but I believe she’ll probably get something better than if we put a male forward … because it did rattle the President being put under so much pressure by the Irish government”.
