Next EU commissioner will be Fianna Fáil nominee, says party leader Micheál Martin

The Republic’s next European commissioner will be a Fianna Fáil nominee when the Government makes its selection in 2024, according to Tánaiste and party leader Micheál Martin.

Mr Martin, also Minister for Foreign Affairs, confirmed that he was ruling himself out of running for the role.

Asked if he would be open to Fine Gael’s Mairead McGuinness returning as Ireland’s commissioner, Mr Martin praised her time in office but said the next candidate would come from Fianna Fáil.

“There’s a clear understanding and agreement between the parties in Government as to the nomination of the next commissioner that it would be a Fianna Fáil nominee,” he said.

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He declined to comment further until closer to the nomination following the European elections in June.

There has been much speculation in political circles as to who will be nominated by the Government when a new commission is formed in 2024.

Ms McGuiness has publicly expressed her willingness to stay on in Brussels for a second term.

However, speculation has focused on Fianna Fáil politicians, including Minister for Finance Michael McGrath or even Mr Martin himself as potential nominees to replace Ms McGuinness.

Taoiseach Leo Varadkar would not be drawn on whether he would be pushing for Ms McGuinness to get a second term.

“We’ll cross that bridge in June or July when the time comes, we haven’t had any detailed discussions about it ... I’m not going to go speculate on that at the moment,” he said. “There’s a lot can happen between now and next June/July.

He said there was “no written agreement” with Fianna Fáil on the issue but declined to say if there was an informal arrangement.

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Mr Varadkar also downplayed the prospect of Minister for Public Expenditure Paschal Donohoe becoming the next managing director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in Washington DC, saying that he expects the incumbent to stay on.

Bloomberg reported at the start of December that Mr Donohoe’s name was being mentioned as a successor to Kristalina Georgieva, should she not continue into a second term in the role.

“There is no vacancy at the top of the IMF and if a vacancy arises, I’m sure we can talk about it then, but my anticipation is that Kristalina Georgieva will seek a second term in which case that issue will not arise,” he said.

Mr Martin also denied he had any interest in running in the next presidential election in 2025.

“No, I am not saving myself for the Áras,” he said.

He said he is “focused on what I am doing now as leader of Fianna Fáil” and on preparing for the local and European elections, the mayoral election in Limerick and the upcoming referendums on family and care in March. Next year is “going to be electorally and politically very, very active”, he said.

Meanwhile, Mr Martin said he expects to discuss the “global challenges” of the drug trade during his visits to Colombia and Mexico next month but said the trip will be “largely more political and more economic”.

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He was responding to a question about whether he would raise Kinahan cartel activity in the region and the issue of drug smuggling more generally with officials he meets.

“We have had a very strong economic relationship with Mexico and with the region more broadly. And we are determined to try and build on that ... so there’s a strong economic dimension to this visit,” he said.

“Politically also, it’s important for Ireland to strengthen its relationships.”

The Tánaiste said that on his trip to Colombia, he would discuss the role Ireland has played in assisting the country’s peace process. He praised former tánaiste Eamon Gilmore for the “exceptional work” he had done as EU envoy to the country.

“Ireland, through its ambassador and diplomatic footprint, is working to share some of the lessons of the conflict in Northern Ireland with the authorities in Colombia and they have been very appreciative of our suggestions,” he said.

Mr Martin said he would discuss with the Department of Justice whether there were “any particular messages or communications that they want me to discuss on the criminal side”.

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