Belgium and Romania propose women for Commission posts after deadline passes
Belgium was the only EU country to miss the deadline set by Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen, who is attempting to ensure gender balance among her senior officials.
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00:00Belgium will nominate its Federal Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade, Hadja Labib,
00:05to serve in the next European Commission, after missing the initial time limit set by
00:09Commission Chief, Ursula von der Leyen.
00:12The news came as Romania switched its Commission candidate to current MEP and former Minister
00:17for European Funds, Roxana Minzatu, with von der Leyen seeking to ensure greater gender
00:23balance among her top officials.
00:26With these announcements, each member state has now presented its nominees for the European
00:30Commission.
00:31At a conference in Slovenia, von der Leyen said this new Commission will prioritise EU
00:36enlargement, which is why the area will now have its own Commissioner.
00:40Let me be very clear.
00:43I want our work to speed up even more.
00:49In the next Commission, enlargement must be a full-time job that allows undivided attention.
01:00And this is why I will appoint a dedicated Commissioner for enlargement.
01:06Let's write history together.
01:10The new nominations mean women would represent nine out of the 27 most senior officials in
01:16the EU's executive branch.
01:19The situation remains fluid amidst rumours that von der Leyen has requested countries
01:23to reconsider nominations in the pursuit of gender parity.