AMSTERDAM: Dutch Foreign Minister Frans Timmermans was due to meet the president of the European Commission on Tuesday about a senior role in the European Union's executive body, Dutch public broadcaster NOS reported on Monday.
The Netherlands hoped that by sending Timmermans, a long-serving diplomat who has worked in the European Commission before, the Netherlands could secure a big portfolio.
NSO and other Dutch media said. Each of the EU's 28 member states delegates one public servant into the college of commissioners, meaning competition for weighty portfolios is intense.
The reports said the Netherlands hoped Timmermans might be named the commision's first vice-president. The Netherlands is seeking a vice president commission post with for Timmermans, de Volkskrant daily said earlier on Monday, citing unnamed sources in Brussels. Dutch officials declined to comment.
Analysts said it was far from certain the Dutch will succeed in gaining a top position after waiting so long to put forward a candidate.
Jeroen Dijsselbloem, who heads the Eurogroup of euro zone finance ministers, had been mentioned earlier as a possible candidate but failed to gain support.
The name of Trade and Development Minister Lilianne Ploumen has also come up, but she has less foreign experience. She and Timmermans are both from the Labour Party, which is expected to get the seat after several conservative politicians.
Incoming European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker has said he wants nine of the 28 commissioners in his new team to be women, so nominating a man could weaken Dutch chances.
"The Dutch never had a formal candidate and didn't play their cards very well," said Louise van Schaik of the Clingendael think tank. "This doesn't have much chance of succeeding, especially because Juncker is having a problem finding enough female candidates."
Van Schaik said Timmermans, a fluent Russian speaker, is highly suited for a new eastern policy "super commissioner" position.
But he would rank second after the newly appointed EU foreign policy chief, Italian Foreign Minister Federica Mogherini, who will also hold a commission vice president seat.
Timmermans gained international prominence with the widely-admired and emotional speech he gave at the United Nations following the July 17 shooting down over Ukraine of Malaysian Airlines flight MH17, which had 196 Dutch nationals on board.
The speech was widely credited with swinging many European Union countries round to favour tougher sanctions against Russia, which is believed to have been shot down by Russian-backed separatists.
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