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.