A third of EU commissioners will be women: Barroso

(STRASBOURG) - The incoming European Commission will include more women than the team it replaces, with a third of the 27 places going to female candidates, its head Jose Manuel Barroso announced Tuesday.

"I have some good news to give today. The next commission will have nine women, one more than at present," Barroso told the EU Parliament during a regular question session.

The slight improvement in the gender balance is down to the 27 EU nations, which have the right to nominate one commissioner each to oversee a policy portfolio.

"A week ago we only had three women" proposed, he stressed.

At that time, with the situation looking bleak for the gender balance, Barroso had openly voiced his misgivings and the results were almost immediate.

The list of names since then includes Britain's pick Catherine Ashton, who is to become the bloc's foreign policy supremo and vice-president of the Commission, the EU's executive arm.

"Many of you have helped me" to get better representation of women in the Commission, he said, thanking the assembled MEPs.

Barroso said that on Tuesday he had received the last of the 27 candidates.

That also helped the balance, as the Netherlands proposed its outgoing competition commissioner Neelie Kroes for a job in the new set-up.

Among the other women candidates are current Danish Energy Minister Connie Hedegaard, Greek socialist deputy Maria Damanaki, Luxembourg's Viviane Reding, the outgoing telecoms commissioner, and Swedish European Minister Cecilia Malmstroem.

The Irish representative on the European Court of Auditors Maire Geoghegan Quinn, the outgoing EU health commissioner, Cypriot Androulla Vassiliou, and Bulgarian Euro MP Rumiana Jeleva make up the group.

All 27 commission candidates must yet be approved by the European parliament.

According to diplomatic sources Spain's Joaquin Almunia, who currently holds the economic and monetary affairs portfolio could switch to competition, replacing Kroes.

France is almost assured of the internal market commissioner's post for its candidate Michel Barnier while German, like most of the bigger nations, also has its eyes on a major economic post, perhaps trade and industry.

Italy has asked for another term in a transport portfolio for its current commissioner Antonio Tajani, an official source said.

Barroso stressed that it was his task to share out the jobs, despite pressure from the member states.

"There is always pressure, but at the end of the day it's up to me to take the overall responsibility," said Barroso, who was recently handed a second five-year term in office by EU leaders.

He stressed however that he hopes to have a large consensus for his choices.

Barroso added that he intended to split up the current justice and internal affairs job into its two parts, and also to create a climate change commissioner.

Barroso is expected to present his full list next week, set to be dominated by conservatives and liberals, in line with national governments.

The European parliament will begin hearings for the proposed commissioners on January 11 with a view to the whole college being up and running by February 1.