The Taoiseach, Bertie Ahern, has reiterated that a successor to Romano Prodi has not yet been chosen.
Speaking in Japan, Mr Ahern contradicted a claim by the British Minister for Europe, Denis MacShane, that a European Commission president had been decided.
Mr MacShane had said that all 25 EU governments had found consensus on an unspecified candidate after failing to strike a deal at a summit last week.
Separately, Ireland's former EU Commissioner and head of the World Trade Organisation, Peter Sutherland, has acknowledged that his name has been suggested for the job.
However, Mr Sutherland declined to speculate on whether he would accept it.
Speaking in Rome, Mr Sutherland described the job as one of the most difficult in the world, and said that nobody would consider accepting it without the backing of all the EU governments.
