Brussels (AFP)

Ireland lost the prestigious Trade portfolio within the European Commission on Tuesday, President Ursula von der Leyen having decided to award it to a man of confidence, the Latvian Valdis Dombrovskis, already vice-president of the executive.

This choice follows the precipitous departure of the former incumbent, Irishman Phil Hogan, forced to resign for violating anti-coronavirus restrictions in his country.

The loss of this portfolio is a blow to Dublin, which would have liked to keep it a few months before the end of the post-Brexit transition period on December 31, 2020. Ireland will be one of the countries most affected by the divorce between London and Brussels, and fears more than anything an exit without agreement from the United Kingdom.

Ireland, however, inherits a post that has nothing to do with a consolation prize: the new commissioner Mairead McGuinness is in charge of "financial services", a strategic issue in the negotiations with London, which is keen to preserve the weight of the City in its future relationship with the continent.

Valdis Dombrovskis (EPP, right) said on Twitter he was "honored" to take over Trade, one of the most prominent posts in the EU executive, responsible for EU trade policy on behalf of 27 at a time of great turbulence with Washington or Beijing.

Without forgetting the expected reform of European trade policy, in the midst of the WTO (World Trade Organization) crisis, which is looking for a leader against the backdrop of the multilateralism crisis.

Former Prime Minister of his country, Dombrovskis will retain his duties as "executive vice-president" in the Commission.

Until then, he was responsible for financial services, first in the Commission of Jean-Claude Juncker, whom he joined in 2014, then with Ursula von der Leyen.

- Near parity -

The appointments of Mr Dombrovskis, 49, and Ms McGuiness, 61, will only become effective after their hearings by the European Parliament, which will have to give its approval, which should go smoothly.

Irish Prime Minister Micheal Martin congratulated his compatriot in a tweet.

"I have no doubt for a moment (...) that it will play a key role in the work of the Commission" with this "important financial portfolio", he wrote.

Current Vice-President of the European Parliament, Mairead McGuinness (EPP, right), has been an MEP since 2004.

This is the first reshuffle of the Commission by German Ursula von der Leyen, since taking office in early December 2019. Changes within the European executive are quite rare due to the complexity of forming a new team because it must take into account a balance both geographically and politically.

The College of European Commissioners, made up of 26 men and women and chaired by Ursula von der Leyen, is the result of a clever mix between the main political families of the EU, according to their results in the European elections of May 2019. And every EU country has a post.

Thanks to this reshuffle, Ms. von der Leyen achieved a goal that she set for herself last year without succeeding: a quasi-equal team.

With the Irish Commissioner, there will now be 14 men and 13 women in the Commission, including the President.

Before his resignation on August 26, Phil Hogan was one of the heavyweights of this Commission.

Taking advantage of a negative Covid-19 test, he had not submitted to the quarantine for two weeks after arriving from Belgium.

He had attended a gala dinner in Ireland with more than 80 guests on August 19, the day after a tightening of the restrictions on gatherings due to a rebound in the epidemic.

© 2020 AFP