Leo Varadkar has insisted there is no row between Fine Gael and Fianna Fail on who is Ireland’s EU commissioner following this summer’s European elections.
Prior to Christmas, Tanaiste Micheal Martin said there was a “clear understanding and agreement” that the nominee would be selected by his Fianna Fail party.
Around the same time, Fine Gael leader Mr Varadkar said there was “no written agreement” on the matter and declined to be drawn when asked if there was an unwritten agreement that it would be a Fianna Fail choice.
The term of Ireland’s current EU Commissioner, Mairead McGuinness, comes to an end in the summer.
Ms McGuinness, a Fine Gael member, has previously signalled a willingness to serve a second term.
At his end of year media briefing last month, Mr Martin suggested he would not favour Ms McGuinness retaining the role, insisting “there’s a clear understanding and agreement between the parties in government” that it would be a Fianna Fail nominee.
Asked on Sunday whether there was a clear understanding that the commissioner would be selected by Fianna Fail, Mr Varadkar told RTE: “That may well be the case, but that’s something that we’re going to discuss when the situation arises.”
He declined to be drawn on whether he felt Ms McGuinness should carry on in the role.
“I think what’s very important is that when you’re a small country, and Ireland is a small country, that in order to be confident that you go into a good position – there are 27 Commissioners and you want to make sure that for a small country like Ireland that you have a strong position at the table – you want to make sure that whoever your commissioner is, it’s somebody who’s got a really good and really strong CV,” he said.
“And whoever that is I’m confident it’s going to be somebody who has got a really good CV.”
Asked if current Fianna Fail Finance Minister Michael McGrath would make a good pick, the Taoiseach again declined to be drawn.
“There would be absolutely nothing more than some people would love to try and create some sort of fake row here between Fianna Fail and Fine Gael or between me and Micheal Martin, there is no row,” he added.
“There’s been no decision or discussion on this. We will do that, most likely June/July when the situation actually arises.”