Dutch nominate Foreign Minister Timmermans as EU commissioner

Dutch Foreign Minister Frans Timmermans speaks during a meeting at United Nations headquarters in New York, July 21, 2014. REUTERS/Eduardo Munoz

AMSTERDAM (Reuters) - The Netherlands has nominated Foreign Minister Frans Timmermans, a veteran diplomat, as the country's candidate to join the EU Commission, Prime Minister Mark Rutte told parliament on Tuesday.

The announcement was made after Timmermans met incoming Commission President Jean-Claude Junker in Brussels about taking up a senior role in the European Union's executive body.