Cowen due to nominate next EU Commissioner

TAOISEACH Brian Cowen will be under pressure to nominate the next Irish Commissioner over the next 10 days.

Already 10 countries have put forward their candidates and Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso has just over two weeks to put together his new team.

He has told countries that he would like about half of his commissioners to be women and is asking countries like Ireland that has never nominated a woman to consider doing so now.