Dismissal of EU Trade Chief Sets Awkward Precedent for Bloc

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen headed off a brewing political storm by accepting her top trade official’s resignation, and in the process she may have set a dangerous precedent by letting national political concerns affect the institution.

European Union Trade Commissioner Phil Hogan had sought backing from his boss to weather the growing criticism in his native Ireland over his attendance at a golf event that breached pandemic guidelines, but von der Leyen saw that as politically untenable, according to an official with knowledge of the matter.