WRITTEN QUESTION E-3017/96 by Jean-Antoine Giansily (UPE) to the Commission (11 November 1996)

Subject: Commission staff

1. Can the Commission provide a summary table showing the breakdown by nationality, category, and grade within each category, of all its established officials in each of its two main places of work (Brussels and Luxembourg), classified by Directorate-General, and separately for the Secretariat?

2. Can it also provide the same details regarding the temporary, auxiliary and/or local staff working for it in its two places of work, in all its delegations in non-Community countries, and in its various offices in the Member States of the Union?

3. What general comments does it have to make on the situation of its staff?

4. Does it feel that due respect is being shown for the principle of 'geographical balance'?

Answer given by Mr Liikanen on behalf of the Commission (12 December 1996)

Most of the information requested by the Honourable Member is to be found in the 'Justification for posts requested in the preliminary draft budget for 1997 and staff complement', which was submitted to the budgetary authority as part of the discussions on the 1997 budget and will be sent direct to the Honourable Member and Parliament's Secretariat. With regard to statistics on the occupation of posts by Directorate-General and by category and grade and nationality, the Honourable Member is referred to:

- pages 46 to 61 for posts in the administrative budget;

- pages 113 et seq for posts in the research budget.

Documents on the breakdown between Brussels and Luxembourg of established officials and temporary staff in the administrative budget will be sent direct to the Honourable Member and Parliament's Secretariat. There is no table for auxiliary staff setting out the appropriations allocated by the Commission (administrative budget) in terms of man/year by Directorate-General for 1996. The relevant documents will also be sent to the Honourable Member and Parliament's Secretariat. Pages 80 to 85 of the 'Justification' outline the situation as regards local staff.

Requests for information about offices and agencies in the Member States should be sent to those bodies, which have their own budget and establishment plan.

The Commission recalls that Article 27 of the Staff Regulations provides that no posts may be reserved for nationals of a specific Member State and that recruitment must be directed to securing for the institution the services of officials of the highest standard of ability, efficiency and integrity, recruited on the broadest possible geographical base from among nationals of Member States.

The Commission thus endeavours to ensure that citizens in all Member States are informed of recruitment possibilities in the institution and that they can take part in general competitions. Obviously it is difficult to ensure that there is an adequate number of candidates from each Member State. This is due to a series of factors linked, for example, to mobility, economic conditions and the labour market. Special efforts are made to encourage candidates from Member States from which it has traditionally been difficult to attract an adequate number of candidates. The degree of difficulty varies according to the type and level of the competition.

The Commission, like the other institutions does not apply a quota system guaranteeing a specific number of posts by Member State. Such a system would be contrary to the Staff Regulations. But it is obvious that by recruiting over the widest possible geographical base, the Commission takes into account the relative importance of the Member States.