WRITTEN QUESTION E-1564/03 by Eija-Riitta Korhola (PPE-DE) to the Commission. Anomalous aspects of the new Career Development Review (CDR) system.
Date: 2003-05-08
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: European Commission, European official, professional career, regulations for civil servants, staff assessment

15.1.2004

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

C 11 E/195

Will the Commission explain the following anomalous aspects of the new system?

Most services of the Commission have chosen to apply an overall average of 14 points for every one of the
grades, in order to avoid losing priority points. This means, for example, that if one official is considered
to be particularly able and receives 16 points, then another in the same grade must be only given 12
points, irrespective of his/her ability, in order to maintain the average of 14. Does this not bring about a
distortion of the true situation? If most of the officials in a certain grade in a certain service are well above
average, does not this system penalise them by giving them artificially low numbers of points?

(2004/C 11 E/221)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-1564/03

by Eija-Riitta Korhola (PPE-DE) to the Commission

(8 May 2003)

Subject: Anomalous aspects of the new Career Development Review (CDR) system

Does the Commission acknowledge that there is considerable disquiet among a large number of its officials
about the new Career Development Review (CDR) system which has been introduced this year?

Will the Commission explain the following anomalous aspects of the new system?

Most services of the Commission have chosen to allocate the points between all of their officials prior to
any officials’ CDR interviews with their hierarchical superior, in order to maintain the desired 14-point
average. If the points for each official have already been allocated prior to their CDR interview, does not
this make a farce of the interview, which is supposed to be helping to assess the official’s performance?

(2004/C 11 E/222)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-1565/03

by Eija-Riitta Korhola (PPE-DE) to the Commission

(8 May 2003)

Subject: Anomalous aspects of the new Career Development Review (CDR) system

Does the Commission acknowledge that there is considerable disquiet among a large number of its officials
about the new Career Development Review (CDR) system which has been introduced this year?

Will the Commission explain the following anomalous aspects of the new system?

If promotion is supposed to be primarily on the basis of merit, and if merit is properly reflected in the staff
reports and the number of points awarded, why then do Director-Generals have the possibility of awarding
up to 10 additional priority points per member of staff on the basis of criteria which are neither clear nor
objective? Does this not encourage favouritism rather than merit?

Joint answer
to Written questions E-1562/03, E-1563/03, E-1564/03 and E-1565/03
given by Mr Kinnock on behalf of the Commission

(27 June 2003)

It was natural, in the Commission as in other organisations, for the introduction of a new appraisal system
to be viewed with a degree of reticence and concern by some members of staff. However, the Commission
observes that much of that initial concern has now been dispelled as staff have participated in the Career