With Romania finally deciding on Thursday (4 September) to send Socialist MEP Corina Cretu to meet Juncker for the commissioner post, the count of female commissioners was raised to nine, the minimum required by MEPs, according to EUObserver.com.
Lithuania’s nominee for the European Commission, former minister of healthcare Vytenis Povilas Andriukaitis, is tipped for the health portfolio.
According to Lithuanian observers, this is one of the lesser positions, as healthcare issues remain largely in the purview of national governments.
Meanwhile Latvian and Estonian delegates, former prime ministers Valdis Dombrovskis and Andrus Ansip, are rumoured to fare much better and might be offered vice-presidencies of the European Commission.
EU countries are pushing for weighty portfolios by sending high-profile politicians: four prime ministers (Slovenia, Finland, Estonia and Latvia), three foreign ministers (Italy, the Netherlands and Hungary) two ministers for economy and finance (Denmark and France) and six other ministers ranging from defence to environment and health.
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