Finance minister Paschal Donohoe is to be nominated for a second term as president of the Eurogroup, the Irish Government has confirmed. It follows a period of wrangling within the coalition government over whether Mr Donohoe should retain the nomination for the prestigious EU title when he and his colleague Michael McGrath swap portfolios in December.
As part of the coalition arrangement, the Taoiseach and Tanaiste roles are to be swapped on December 15 between Fianna Fáil leader Micheal Martin and Fine Gael leader Leo Varadkar – halfway through the coalition’s expected time in office. Though it is not contained in the programme for government, the finance brief and public expenditure portfolio are also to be swapped between Fine Gael’s Mr Donohoe and Fianna Fáil’s Mr McGrath.
