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Phil Hogan has resigned as EU trade chief. Image Credit: AFP

Brussels: Ireland’s Phil Hogan said on Wednesday he had resigned as European Union trade commissioner because of the controversy over alleged breaches of COVID-19 guidelines rules during a recent trip to his home country.

“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,” Hogan said in a statement.