|
Hogan, an Irishman, said last week he was "exploring the option"
of seeking to become director-general of the WTO, for which
nominations run until July 8.
"The Commission decided in agreement with him to apply a certain
number of measures, one of which is that he would refrain from
public appearances that might distract from the subject at
hand," spokesman Eric Mamer told a news conference.
Hogan did deliver a speech on Tuesday to launch a public
consultation on the EU's future trade policy and answered only
two questions from the compere, neither about the WTO post.
The Commission said it would also adopt the "four eyes
principle", meaning that Hogan's direct boss, Vice President
Valdis Dombrovskis, would oversee policy proposals or trade
negotiating positions for which Hogan is responsible.
Mamer said Hogan would remain trade commissioner for now and was
set, for example, to address members of the European Parliament
next month on a planned reform of EU trade policy.
"So it's not at all that there are limits to his activity as
commissioner, but simply a certain number of simple
precautionary measures," Mamer said.
EU governments last week generally agreed to unite around one
candidate for the WTO post, although some member states said
they should not rule out supporting a candidate from a
like-minded non-EU country.
(Reporting by Philip Blenkinsop and Kate Abnett; Editing by Mark
Heinrich)
[© 2020 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.] Copyright 2020 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Thompson Reuters is solely responsible for this content.
|
|
