WRITTEN QUESTION E-1030/02

by Michiel van Hulten (PSE) to the Council

(15 April 2002)

Subject: Appointment of senior Council officials

In 1999 and 2000, the European Commission laid down a number of guidelines for the appointment and career development of its senior officials.

These rules include the following principles:

- Merit must be the dominant criterion for decisions on senior appointments;

- The career advancement of A1 and A2 officials must take due account of the results of regular performance appraisals;

- As a general rule, A1 and A2 officials are subject to mobility after 5 years and cannot normally stay in a post for more than 7 years;

- A1 posts are generally opened up to competition.

1. What rules does the Council apply to the appointment and career development of its senior officials?

2. How many A1 and A2 officials does the Council employ? How many are women? How many belong to ethnic minorities?

3. How many current A1 and A2 Council officials have been in their post for 5 years or more? How many have been in their post for 7 years or more?

4. How many open competitions have been held since 1999 for the replacement of A1 and A2 officials?

5. Does the Council plan to hold open competitions for future vacancies at A1 and A2 level? If not, why not?

Reply

(30 September 2002)

The Council informs the Honourable Member that in the appointment of its senior officials the Council applies the procedures provided for in the Staff Regulations and other relevant texts(1). All posts at the A1 and A2 levels are published internally in accordance with Article 4 of the Staff Regulations. Where appropriate, on the basis of Article 29(2) of the Staff Regulations(2) the vacancy notices are also sent to the other Institutions and to the Member States. The vacancy may be published in national and/or international

newspapers or professional periodicals, according to the circumstances. An Advisory Selection Committee set up by the Appointing Authority examines all candidacies received within the published deadline, and establishes a list of candidates who it considers best respond to the specific job requirements. It endeavours to recruit, in accordance with Article 27 of the Staff Regulations, officials of the highest standards of ability, efficiency and integrity. It chooses from among nationals of Member States on the broadest possible geographical basis without distinction as to race, beliefs or sex.

These candidates are then called for interview. A report and short list of appropriate candidates is then submitted to the Appointing Authority. In the case of A1 appointments, the Deputy Secretary-General of the Council, if necessary after further interviews, makes a proposal of nomination to the Appointing Authority, the Council, which, having at its disposal the personal dossiers of the short-listed candidates, decides.

In the case of A2 appointments, the Appointing Authority, the Deputy Secretary-General, decides on the basis of the report of the Advisory Selection Committee and, where necessary after further interviews. An analysis of the current situation reveals that 2 of 14 Directors-General and 19 of 33 Directors now in service were officials of the General Secretariat prior to their appointment at the A2 level. The Council underlines that in so doing, it has, as explained in the first paragraph, acted in strict conformity with the provisions of the legal texts governing the appointment of officials at A1 and A2 levels.

The procedures applied are open to the officials of all Community Institutions and, via the information provided to the authorities of each Member State, and the publication referred to above, to the nationals of Member States. Although the procedure described may not be that of an open competition in the sense of the Staff Regulations, the Council considers that it is genuinely open in the sense of offering an opportunity on a wide basis to persons both within and outside the institutions, who meet the required conditions, to present their candidacy.

The tables in annex supply the required statistics (see points 2 and 3 of the question).

>TABLE>

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(1) In particular Council Decision of 20 October 1999.

(2) A procedure other that the competition procedure may be adopted by the Appointing Authority for the recruitment of grade A1 or A2 officials.