BRUSSELS, Sept. 8 (Xinhua) -- European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on Tuesday announced that she proposes Mairead McGuinness to be new European Commissioner from Ireland.
If approved by the European Parliament and the European Council, McGuinness will be in charge of financial services, financial stability and the Capital Markets Union, according to von der Leyen's statement.
The Irish position became vacant following the resignation of former Trade Commissioner Phil Hogan, in the wake of controversy about his compliance with COVID-19 protection during a visit to Ireland.
The trade commissioner portfolio held by Hogan will go to Valdis Dombrovskis of Latvia, who is currently the Executive Vice President of the Commission for An Economy that Works for People. Dombrovskis would also remain the Commission representative on the Eurogroup, alongside with Economy Commissioner Paolo Gentiloni, von der Leyen said.
Dombrovskis has been interim trade commissioner since Hogan's resignation.
Von der Leyen noted in her statement that McGuinness has significant political experience on EU issues, having been an MEP since 2004 and currently holding the post of First Vice-President of the European Parliament. Enditem
