European Personnel Selection Office

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European Personnel Selection Office
Erik Halskov Director
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The European Communities Personnel Selection
Office (EPSO)

• Legally established by decision of the EU
  institutions on 26 July 2002. Fully operational 1
  January 2003
• Mission to organize open competitions to select
  highly qualified staff for recruitment to all
  institutions of the European Union

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• EPSO
• selects candidates
• European Institutions
• recruit selected candidates

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European Institutions

• European Parliament
• Council
• European Commission
• Court of Justice
• Court of Auditors
• European Economic Social Committee
• Committee of the Regions
• European Ombudsman

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EPSO Resources

• Today 140 staff
• Own premises Av. de Cortenbergh 80 in Brussels
  close to all European Institutions
• Annual budget 22 million

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EXAMPLES

• EUR 2 (Bulgaria and Romania)
• Translators (AD5)
• Interpreters (AD5)
• EUR 2 and EUR 10
• Administrators EPA, Law, Economics, Audit (AD5)
• Secretaries (AST1)

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Structure of presentation

• Selection
• Recruitment
• Career

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Selection
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Permanent Officials

• Employed and taxed by EU
• Separate social security system
• Longterm employment security
• Salary according to fixed salary table
• Recruitment through open competitions
• Reform of working conditions as of 1 May 2004

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Categories of staff

• AD Administrators
• Former A and LA (administrators, managers,
  linguists)
• AST Assistants
• Former B (administrative assistants)
• and C (secretaries)

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BASIC REQUIREMENTS FOR AD CATEGORY

• University degree
• EU citizen
• Knowledge of 2 EU languages
• Specific requirements for each competition

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Notice of competition

• Legal basis
• Published in the Official Journal
• Category, grade, field
• Basic and Specific requirements
• Expiry date for application etc.

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Competition structure

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• 1. Pre-selection tests 
• All applicants
• 2. Written section
• Fixed number
• 3. Oral examination
• Fixed number

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Pre-selection tests
Multiple-choice questions

• Knowledge in specialist field
• EU-knowledge
• General aptitude Verbal Numerical reasoning
• All pre-selection tests in Second language

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Written section

• Essay in specialist field

Interview

• Interview with Selection board

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Reserve listList of successful candidates

• Competition finalized by establishment of the
  Reserve list
• Institutions recruit from these lists / EPSO act
  as clearing house
• No guaranteed recruitment
• Normally at least a year from application to
  start of recruitment

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How to apply?

• Application period normally starts when the
  Notice of competition is published
• No regular cycle of competitions
• Registration for most competitions on-line
• All details on the web site
• http//europa.eu.int/epso

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MYTHS

• No age limit for EU competitions
• No national quotas
• (though we work to indicative recruitment
  targets for enlargement competitions)

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Recruitment
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Actual staff per institution
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Commission Staff 2005
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Recruitment to Commission 2004
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Career
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A new career system

• Objective Officials producing good results must
  be able to progress - both in their career and in
  terms of pay - until retirement
• Two basic categories Assistants and
  Administrators
• Entrance requirements raised for AST no
  officials without upper secondary education and
  three years of professional experience
• New career structure more grades and less
  function groups
• Promotion on merit
• Career transition facilitated

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Old structure
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New structure
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Career structure (cont.)
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Appraisal and promotion

• Speed of career determined by annual appraisals
• Appraisal Merit- and priority points for
  achievement of objectives and demonstration of
  competencies and conduct
• Merit and priority points accumulate over the
  years
• the threshold fixed reached Promotion

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Training

• Increased training budget as result of reform
• Increased focus on management training
• Language training, knowledge of 3rd language
  before first promotion
• Training to be set up before transfer from
  function group AST to AD
• Inter-institutional co-ordination of certain
  training via European Administrative School

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Pay and Pension (officials)

• PAY
• Basic monthly salary for AD5 (step 1) 3837
• Basic monthly salary for AD14 (step 5) 13193
• Family allowances Household allowance, Dependent
  child allowance, Education allowance
• Expatriation allowance
• PENSION
• Normal retirement age 65, but right stay until 67
• Full pension rights 70 of final basic salary
• Flexible retirement provisions from 55 years of
  age

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Improved flexibility as result of reform

• Objective Reconcile family and career
• Flexible working arrangements
• New flexitime arrangements
• Access to part time - and telework easier
• Maternity leave of 20 weeks
• Parental leave of six months

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Website

• http//europa.eu.int/epso
• The EPSO website is maintained in three official
  languages
• (German, English and French)

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European Personnel Selection Office

• http//europa.eu.int/epso

QUESTIONS?