Michael McGrath will be European Commissioner for Democracy, Justice and the Rule of Law.
European Commission President, Ursula von der Leyen, announced who will get which job in a press conference in Strasbourg this morning.
Each of the EU’s 27 member states gets a European commissioner post. It is up to the President to decide who gets which job.
The commissioner designates also have to be approved by the European Parliament. Those hearings are expected to take place in November.
Speaking about the selection for Michael McGrath, President von der Leyen said:
“I have entrusted him with the responsibility to take forward the European Democracy Shield. He will also lead our work on the rule of law, anti-corruption and consumer protection.”
The European Democracy Shield is an idea put forward by Ursula von der Leyen for a “dedicated structure” to fight against “foreign information manipulation and interference.”
Michael McGrath was Finance Minister from 2022 until June this year when he was nominated by the Taoiseach as Ireland’s candidate for European Commissioner.
Ursula von der Leyen wanted Ireland to put forward two candidates, a man and a woman, so that she could choose a gender-balanced European Commission, but the Taoiseach refused.