WRITTEN QUESTION E-0286/02

by Armando Cossutta (GUE/NGL) to the Commission

(8 February 2002)

Subject: Clairvoyance at the Commission

When competitions are held to fill management posts at the Commission (heads of unit, directors and directors-general) the trade union R & D issues a leaflet claiming that it knows the precise characteristics enabling it to identify the successful candidate, and can supply the name on request.

How is it possible that the union R & D has managed, on every occasion, to guess who the successful candidate will be?

Answer given by Mr Kinnock on behalf of the Commission

(25 March 2002)

The principles of the new procedures for filling senior management positions at the Commission(1) were set out in the Communication on the appraisal, selection and appointment of senior Commission officials adopted and published on December 23, 2000(2). The Commission follows those rules and procedures with the intention of ensuring that those appointed to management positions have high qualification and merit and a good record of performance in management. Furthermore, and consistent with the Communication, changes were introduced to allow these procedures to be carried out in full transparency (i.e. more clear and detailed vacant post notices and assistance from external consultants).

In particular, all appointment procedures for middle management are now followed by Rapporteurs, who are senior officials that are independent of the appointing Directorate General. These Rapporteurs are involved throughout the appointment procedure and for the interviews with shortlisted candidates, together with the relevant Director General (or, for Director General's appointments), Member of the Commission.

The Rapporteurs then make a presentation of the results of the pre-selection procedure to the Consultative Committee on Appointments (CCA), a neutral body set up to recommend to the Commission a list of suitable candidates for any post.

The final decision on appointment to senior posts is made by the Commission, acting on a recommendation from the Member of the Commission with the relevant policy portfolio, in agreement with the Commissioner with responsibility for Personnel and Administration, currently me, and with the President.

Approximately 270 management vacancies were filled at the Commission in 2001. The Commission understands that on some but not all of those occasions the trade union referred to by the Honourable Member claimed to know who the successful candidate would be. However, as the organisation did not publish details, the Commission is unable to determine whether the guesses proved to be correct.

If, as his question implies, the Honourable Member has always obtained the name that the union was tipping, if the union offered a tip relating to every post, and if it proves to be true that the union has correctly guessed the name of a successful candidate on every occasion, the Honourable Member is advised to ask the union how this is possible since only they are likely to know.

(1) Positions of A1 and A2 rank: Directors General, Deputy Directors General, Directors, Principal Advisors and Chefs de Cabinet.

(2) SEC(2000) 2305, following SEC(1999) 1485.