Bratušek, who was unofficially also tipped for the digital agenda and innovation department, will be one of six Commission vice-presidents.

She was picked by Juncker from a list of three candidates compiled by the Bratušek-led government. The move of the outgoing prime minister was met with strong criticism in Slovenia, including by PM-elect Miro Cerar, who will take over in the coming weeks.

Concerns about conflict of interest are in the centre of the objections and Bratušek has also been quizzed by the Corruption Prevention Commission, which sent her its preliminary conclusions on Tuesday, allowing her to respond before a final report is published. It is unclear what consequences a negative report could have for Bratušek.

Juncker said today that he had decided for Bratušek because he needed women and liberals - the other two candidates were SocDems MEP Tanja Fajon and Pensioners' Party (DeSUS) leader Karl Erjavec, the outgoing foreign minister. He added he had also coordinated this with Cerar.

The president-elect of the new Commission also said as he presented his line-up at a news conference in Brussels that he would respect any decision of the European Parliament, which will first quiz and then vote on his team.