Outgoing Czech PM offered EU job

Vladimir Spidla resigned as prime minister in June

The outgoing Prime Minister of the Czech Republic, Vladimir Spidla, has been officially nominated as the country's new European Commissioner.

Mr Spidla resigned last month after a disastrous showing by his party in the European elections.

He will replace the existing commissioner, Pavel Telicka, who negotiated the Czech Republic's membership of the EU.

Mr Spidla has said he will accept the job if offered.

The nomination comes after weeks of speculation over his political future.

New coalition

The BBC's Rob Cameron says Mr Spidla, a committed European and strong advocate of EU integration, has now been offered a handsome consolation prize in the nomination.

He says Mr Telicka is unpopular with the Christian Democrats, one of the three parties in the ruling coalition, for his past membership of the Communist Party.

The coalition is currently slowly being reassembled and replacing Mr Telicka is one of the Christian Democrats' key demands.

Prime Minister-elect Stanislav Gross has been asked to form a new government following the collapse of Mr Spidla's administration.

Mr Gross told a news conference that Mr Spidla was the joint candidate of the three centre-left parties.

UK commissioner

The new president of the European Commission, Jose Manuel Durao Barroso said on Thursday that he wanted a strong, independent commission.

He also said he wanted at least eight of the commissioners to be women.

On Friday, UK Prime Minister Tony Blair nominated long-time ally Peter Mandelson as Britain's next European commissioner.

The appointment represents a remarkable comeback for Mr Mandelson, who has twice resigned from the Cabinet in controversial circumstances.

The UK's two current commissioners, ex-Labour leader Neil Kinnock and former Tory chairman Chris Patten, are stepping down.

EU enlargement means Britain will now have only one commissioner.