WRITTEN QUESTION E-2973/01

by Vitaliano Gemelli (PPE-DE) to the Commission

(26 October 2001)

Subject: Criteria for the selection of directors-general and deputy directors-general within the Commission

The Staff Regulations for European officials stipulate that no posts may be reserved for nationals of any specific Member State. They also require the Community institutions to secure the services of officials recruited on the broadest possible geographical basis from among nationals of Member States of the Union.

Given the above, would the Commission state what criteria have been used for the selection of directors-general and deputy directors-general?

Furthermore, would it provide a list of the names of all the directors-general and deputy directors-general currently working for it, together with details of their duties, nationalities, ages and seniority?

Would it also supply the same details for its other management staff (directors and heads of division)?

Answer given by Mr Kinnock on behalf of the Commission

(13 December 2001)

The Commission consistently upholds its commitment to the principle of recruiting officials on the broadest geographical basis from among nationals of the Member States of the Union. This means that, as set out in its Decision of 21 December 2000(1), serious, lasting imbalances affecting any nationality in terms of appointments of senior managers should be avoided. It also re-affirms its commitment to abiding by the provisions of Article 27 of the Staff Regulations in that no posts are to be reserved for nationals of any specific Member State. Furthermore, the Decision lays down that the entire procedure has to respect the principles and objectives decided by the Commission in the framework of its policy of equal opportunities and promotion of women to decision-making posts.

Following the Decision of December 2000, measures have been introduced to further strengthen procedures for selection and nomination of officials to senior posts to ensure the appointment of candidates who are of the highest qualification and merit, and that proper account is taken of the quality of their record of performance in management.

Publication of vacant posts gives the Commission the best guarantee of finding the most suitable candidates for a post in a transparent manner, while allowing officials maximum opportunity to apply for posts for which they believe they are qualified. Secondly, the Commission has recognised that there is potential for improving the drafting of vacancy notices, for improving information flows to candidates, and for encouraging more internal candidates to apply. Progress has been made on all these issues. Thirdly, in pursuit of the overall objective of enabling the Commission to recruit the best person for the job concerned in a way which is consistent with the Commission's staff policy and is in the interests of the Institutions as a whole, appointments procedures will be further improved. That involves, inter alia, clear definition of the profile of the person to be recruited, including specific requirements in relation to management experience and training. External consultants are now available to the Commission to assist in the drawing up of individual job profiles.

The process of identifying the best candidate has been helped by the introduction of a system of rapporteurs, nominated by the Commission, who are personally responsible for following an appointment from its initial publication to the final decisions by the Commission. In addition, a principal and permanent rapporteur of A2 rank has recently been appointed and is attached to the General Directorate for Personnel and Administration. Her task is to oversee the selection and recruitment procedures for each appointment to senior management posts.

In addition, external consultants specialising in selection and recruitment procedures play a useful role in reinforcing the rigour and objectivity of the procedure for pre-selection of the candidates to be called for interview by the Consultative Committee on Appointments (CCA). On the basis of the written applications, the consultants help to organise a systematic assessment of all candidates before the work of the CCA starts. The principal role of the Consultative Committee on Appointments is to act as an interviewing and evaluation board which can recommend a shortlist of candidates to the Commissioners who are responsible for proposing an appointment to the College. The final decision as to who is the best suited to the job is taken by the Commission itself.

Another issue is the extent to which outside experts and consultants may be co-opted onto the CCA to assist in the interview process. The participation of a human resources consultant in the Committee over the past eighteen months, as well as particular technical experts for specific appointments, has proved to be useful.

A list of Directors General and Deputy Directors General (or equivalent rank) is transmitted directly to the Honourable Member and to the Parliament's Secretariat. A similar list of Directors and Heads of Unit is also transmitted to the Honourable Member and to the Parliament's Secretariat.

(1) SEC(2000) 2305.