By Oana Lungescu BBC European correspondent in Brussels

With 100 days to go before the historic expansion of the European Union, preparations are well and truly underway.

When the 10 new member states join the EU on 1 May, a representative from each will join the 20-strong executive European Commission.

Mrs Huebner is one of the three women candidates

So far, six of the 10 countries have nominated their future commissioner.

The final list will be submitted to the European Commission President Roman Prodi by the end of February.

The latest announcements have come from Poland, the biggest new entrant, and Slovenia, one of the smallest.

As expected, the Polish government has nominated Danuta Huebner, the 55-year-old minister for European affairs.

An academic with no party affiliation, Mrs Huebner helped negotiate the terms on which her country will join the EU and was a member of the Convention on the Future of Europe, which drafted the future European constitution.

Her appointment, which still has to be approved by the Polish parliament, will be popular in EU circles, where Mrs Huebner's diplomatic stance - as compared to the bullish approach of most of her government colleagues - is held in high regard.

But to the Polish opposition, she is "subservient to Brussels" and insufficiently vocal in support of national interests.

Female trio

In fact, that is the whole point of a European Commissioner, who is supposed to speak for Europe, rather than for her or his country.

Romano Prodi had asked the newcomers to send at least three women to Brussels, and Mrs Huebner completes the trio.

The other two are the Latvian Foreign Minister Sandra Kalniete and the Lithuanian Finance Minister Dalia Grybauskaite.

(Mr Kallas) was also accused of misappropriating $10m, and although he was eventually cleared, that scandal may come back to haunt him in Brussels

Mrs Kalniete, 51, is an art historian and diplomat who fought for her country's independence from the Soviet Union.

Born in Siberia, where her family was deported after the Soviet occupation of the Baltic countries in 1941, Mrs Kalniete wrote a book about the deportations titled "With dancing shoes in the Siberian snows".

Forty-seven-year old Dalia Grybauskaite is a former diplomat and economist, who graduated from Leningrad University. She favours free-market and austerity policies.

Mrs Grybauskaite's reputation for toughness is enhanced by her karate black belt.

Embezzlement allegations

Another staunch free-marketeer is the Estonian nominee, 55-year-old Siim Kallas.

He has perhaps the most impressive political record, as a former prime minister, finance minister and foreign minister.

As a former governor of the Bank of Estonia, Mr Kallas replaced the Soviet rouble with the kroon and is known as "the father of the national currency".

In the same period he was also accused of misappropriating $10m, and although he was eventually cleared, that scandal may come back to haunt him in Brussels.

A less controversial appointee is the Maltese Foreign Minister Joe Borg, 52, a lawyer and academic who negotiated his country's entry into the EU and helped persuade a sceptical Maltese public of its benefits.

Another was Slovenia's European Affairs Minister Janez Potocnik, a 45-year old economist with no political affiliation, who steered his country's negotiations with the EU.

Divisions

But there is division in other future members. The Czech ruling coalition has failed so far to agree on a single name, despite the insistence of Prime Minister Vladimir Spidla that the former Environment Minister Milos Kuzvart is the best man for the job.

From 1 May, they will have a vote and an office in the European Commission, but no portfolio. They will simply shadow some of the existing commissioners

In neighbouring Slovakia, Prime Minister Mikulas Dzurinda would like to nominate Ivan Stefanec, a former manager of Coca-Cola, but may have to accept instead the experienced former EU chief negotiator Jan Figl.

Hungary may decide in the next few days between its former chief negotiator Endre Juhasz, a blunt but highly respected EU specialist, and the more suave Ambassador to the EU Peter Balasz.

The choices are less clear in Cyprus, but the Foreign Minister George Iacovou is believed to have the best chances.

Once the list is completed at the end of February, the appointees will be confirmed by EU leaders at their Brussels summit in March and then submitted to hearings in the European Parliament in April.

From 1 May, they will have a vote and an office in the European Commission, but no portfolio.

They will simply shadow some of the existing commissioners.