Denmark picks Hedegaard for EU commission

The Danish government will nominate Climate and Energy Minister Connie Hedegaard for a position on the European Commission, Danish radio DR said on Tuesday.

Hedegaard, aged 49, has played a central role in the run-up to the UN climate conference in Copenhagen on Dec. 7-18 and has emerged among Danish pundits as a front-runner to become the European Union's first climate commissioner.

Public broadcaster DR said that Prime Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen would announce Hedegaard's nomination at a news conference at 1030 GMT.

EU member states make nominations for Commission posts, but it is up to the Commission to allocate portfolios.