Former EU commissioner Phil Hogan’s consultancy work for a law firm risked damaging the reputation of the European Commission, leading the former senior Fine Gael figure to pause his work with the company, documents reveal.
After resigning from the powerful trade commissioner role in the wake of the Golfgate controversy during the Covid-19 pandemic, Mr Hogan set up a consultancy firm that now advises several high-profile corporate clients.
As a former commissioner, Mr Hogan was subject to a two-year “cooling off” period where he was restricted from lobbying or other work that overlapped with his old portfolios in the EU’s executive arm.
Documents seen by The Irish Times show concerns were raised inside the commission about Mr Hogan working for DLA Piper, an international law firm, a year after he stepped down as trade commissioner.
The commission became concerned following an announcement by DLA Piper in September 2021, stating Mr Hogan was coming on board as a “senior strategic and political adviser”, to work with its “government affairs team in Brussels”.
[ Commission feared Phil Hogan consultancy work ‘breached’ lobbying rules ]
European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen referred Mr Hogan’s involvement with the firm to an independent ethics committee, which examines if former commissioners’ work complies with internal rules. This was despite his assurances that he was a consultant rather than an employee.
After an initial review, the committee said there was a “substantial discrepancy” between the law firm’s announcement and information provided by Mr Hogan. The circumstances could lead to criticism and doubt, which created “a risk of reputational damage” for the commission, it said.
The committee’s letter said the law firm specialised in international trade and that Mr Hogan had previously been told to avoid taking on clients who were “major stakeholders” in areas covered by his former portfolios, for the two-year period.
In a December 10th, 2021, letter, the ethics committee advised that they would likely issue a “negative opinion” about Mr Hogan’s work with the firm.
The language in the law firm’s announcement “cannot be ignored and call into question the assertions of Mr Hogan”, the correspondence said. The failure to notify the commission beforehand about the consultancy could constitute a “breach” of rules placed on former commissioners, it said.
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The letter from Dagmar Roth-Behrendt, a former senior German MEP who sat on the committee, noted Mr Hogan had shared excerpts from his consultancy contract to show he was not an employee of the law firm. However, she said in the absence of further information, the committee believed Mr Hogan should “suspend his activities” with DLA Piper, until the end of the two-year period.
In a March 3rd, 2022, response, Mr Hogan agreed to pause his work with DLA Piper until the restrictions were lifted later that year. He said he was taking the decision to make sure there was “absolutely no doubt” about his compliance with rules for former EU commissioners. Mr Hogan said he had no comment to make when contacted.
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His firm, Hogan Strategic Advisory Services, brought in revenue of between €200,000 and €300,000 working for DLA Piper in 2023, records show. It declared between €100,000 and €200,000 in revenue the year before, having resumed working for the law firm in the final four months of 2022.
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