Richard Burke had the distinction of being appointed twice to the then EEC Commission, first by a Fine Gael taoiseach and secondly by a Fianna Fàil taoiseach. From an early age Burke was attracted to politics and Europe. He initially joined the Christian Democrat Party founded by Sean Loftus, but changed his allegiance to Fine Gael. However, his interest in becoming Ireland's nominee to the EEC Commission in January 1977 was well known, despite competition from Justin Keating of the Labour Party.
He received a relatively low-profile portfolio of transport, taxation, consumer affairs and relations with the European Parliament. He appointed Alan Dukes to his Cabinet and John Hume as adviser.