BRUSSELS, July 24BRUSSELS, July 24 (Reuters) - European Union governments have to nominate candidates by the end of July to serve on the executive European Commission, which proposes and enforces laws affecting the bloc's 500 million citizens.
Commission president-elect Jean-Claude Juncker will then decide who gets which portfolio, with the economics, internal market, competition, trade and energy jobs particularly coveted.
In practice, the distribution of posts in the Commission, in which each of the 28 countries has one member, will be part of a wider puzzle including the appointment of a chairman of EU summits, a foreign policy chief and a full-time chairman of euro zone finance ministers.
EU leaders will hold a summit on Aug. 30 on the top jobs. The new Commission team should win approval from the European Parliament before the current Commission's term ends on Oct. 31.
The European Parliament holds individual confirmation hearings but can only endorse or reject the new Commission team as a whole. It wants to see at least nine women nominees.
Below are candidates already nominated by their governments, or likely to be nominated according to national officials and diplomats:
AUSTRIA: Regional Policy Commissioner Johannes Hahn renominated.
BELGIUM: No decision yet. Trade commissioner Karel De Gucht wants to stay but may not have enough support. That could make way for centre-right EU lawmaker Marianne Thyssen.
BRITAIN: Jonathan Hill, former leader of House of Lords.
BULGARIA: Humanitarian Affairs Commissioner Kristalina Georgieva is a possible contender for foreign policy chief, supported by outgoing Prime Minister Plamen Oresharski, but his government resigned on Wednesday without nominating a candidate.
CROATIA: Commissioner for consumer protection Neven Mimica.
CYPRUS: Former government spokesman Christos Stylianides tipped to be the nominee.
DENMARK: No candidate announced yet.
ESTONIA: Former Prime Minister Andrus Ansip.
FINLAND: Former prime minister Jyrki Katainen is economics commissioner until end-October and will stay in the Commission but probably not in that portfolio.
FRANCE: No decision yet. Former finance minister Pierre Moscovici is the likely candidate, but former Europe minister Elisabeth Guigou is also a contender.
GERMANY: Energy Commissioner Guenther Oettinger renominated.
GREECE: No decision yet. Former foreign minister and Athens mayor Dora Bakoyannis is frontrunner, but former development minister Kostis Hatzidakis is also a possible candidate.
HUNGARY: No decision yet. Foreign Minister Tibor Navracsics is the likely nominee.
ITALY: Rome wants Foreign Minister Federica Mogherini to be EU foreign policy chief. Former prime minister and foreign minister Massimo D'Alema is a possible fallback candidate.
IRELAND: Environment Minister Phil Hogan.
LATVIA: Former prime minister Valdis Dombrovskis.
LITHUANIA: Health Minister Vytenis Povilas Andriukaitis.
LUXEMBOURG: Former prime minister Juncker.
MALTA: Former tourism minister Karmenu Vella.
NETHERLANDS: No nominee yet. Finance Minister Jeroen Dijsselbloem, the chairman of euro zone finance ministers, has been mentioned for the economics job. Foreign Minister Frans Timmermans is also a possible EU foreign policy chief.
POLAND: No nominee yet. Foreign Minister Radek Sikorski is a contender for the EU foreign policy job. Budget Commissioner Janusz Lewandowski could be reappointed.
PORTUGAL: No nominee yet. Deputy prime minister Paulo Portas and EU lawmaker Maria Joao Rodrigues are among names mentioned.
ROMANIA: EU Agriculture Commissioner Dacian Ciolos may be renominated.
SLOVENIA: No nominee yet after recent general election.
SLOVAKIA: Maros Sefcovic, commissioner in charge of cooperation among EU institutions, renominated.
SPAIN: Former agriculture minister Miguel Arias Canete.
SWEDEN: No decision yet. Stockholm is likely to renominate Cecilia Malmstrom, the EU commissioner for home affairs. (Reporting by Reuters European bureaux, compiled by Robin Emmott; Editing by Paul Taylor)