Phil Hogan

Phil Hogan, the EU trade commissioner, resigned Wednesday after the Irish government accused him of breaching Covid-19 guidelines during a visit to the country.

On August 19, Hogan attended a golf dinner in County Galway after not complying with quarantine rules when he arrived from Brussels.

Hogan said in a statement, "It was becoming increasingly clear that the controversy concerning my recent visit to Ireland was becoming a distraction from my work as an EU Commissioner and would undermine my work in the key months ahead."

The European Union and the United States announced on Friday an agreement to remove and reduce the tariffs they impose on a number of products.

With the first negotiated rate cut in more than two decades, the two blocs are putting aside the disputes of recent months and sending a signal of reconciliation that aims for continuity.

The joint statement signed by US Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer and European Trade Commissioner Phil Hogan says: "We intend this package of tariff reductions to mark only the beginning of a process that will lead to additional agreements,"

Both sides encompass this step in an attempt to "improve US-EU relations".