Kilkenny man named as one of ‘Top 10 Most Powerful People’ in Europe
The European Commissioner for Trade – Kilkenny’s Phil Hogan – has been named as one of the top 10 most people in Europe.
Mr Hogan came in tenth place in US magazine Politico’s 2020 list of the 28 most powerful people in Europe – just two places behind Taoiseach Leo Varadkar.
Politico compiles an annual list of individuals deemed to be “shaping, shaking and stirring Europe”, categorising nominees according to their various capacities as doers, dreamers and disrupters.
Topping the list for 2020 is French president Emmanuel Macron. Executive vice-president of the European Commission Margrethe Vestager and President of the European Central Bank Christine Lagarde came in second and third place respectively.
Coming in eighth position, Mr Varadkar’s key role in the Brexit saga appears to have elevated his European prestige. The Politico article stated: “Few people have come out looking better from the Brexit negotiations so far than Leo Varadkar.”
The US magazine evoked Phil Hogan’s old nickame ‘The Bruiser’, describing the Kilkenny man as being “no stranger to confrontation”.
However, Politico warned: “What’s less clear is whether his pugnacious approach will be suited to the softer aspects of his job, such as actually reaching agreements and implementing existing deals.”
