Call for expressions of interest for the selection of the members of the European Fiscal Board
Date: 2016-04-21
Institutions: European Commission
Subjects: EU institution, fiscal policy, recruitment








C_2016140EN.01000501.xml










21.4.2016   


EN


Official Journal of the European Union


C 140/5





Call for expressions of interest for the selection of the members of the European Fiscal Board
(2016/C 140/04)
1.   BACKGROUND

Following the recommendations of the ‘Five Presidents’ Report — Completing Europe's Economic and Monetary Union', the Commission has decided on 21 October 2015 to establish an independent European Fiscal Board (‘the Board’) (1).
The Board's mission is to contribute in an advisory capacity to the exercise of the Commission's functions in the multilateral fiscal surveillance of the euro area as set out in Articles 121, 126 and 136 TFEU.
The Board's tasks are the following:






a)


The Board shall provide to the Commission an evaluation of the implementation of the Union fiscal framework, in particular regarding the horizontal consistency of the decisions and implementation of budgetary surveillance, cases of particularly serious non-compliance with the rules, and the appropriateness of the actual fiscal stance at euro area and national level. In this evaluation, the Board may also make suggestions for the future evolution of the Union fiscal framework.










b)


The Board shall advise the Commission on the prospective fiscal stance appropriate for the euro area as a whole based on an economic judgment. It may advise the Commission on the appropriate national fiscal stances that are consistent with its advice on the aggregate fiscal stance of the euro area within the rules of the Stability and Growth Pact. Where it identifies risks jeopardising the proper functioning of the Economic and Monetary Union, the Board shall accompany its advice with a specific consideration of the policy options available under the Stability and Growth Pact.










c)


The Board shall cooperate with the national fiscal councils as referred to in Article 6(1)(b) of Council Directive 2011/85/EU (2). The cooperation between the Board and the national fiscal councils shall in particular aim at exchanging best practices and facilitating common understanding on matters related to the Union fiscal framework.










d)


On the request of the President of the Commission, the Board shall provide ad-hoc advice.




2.   COMPOSITION OF THE BOARD

The Board shall be composed of a Chair and four Members (‘the Chair’ and ‘the Member(s)’ hereafter).
The Chair shall be responsible for overseeing the performance of tasks entrusted to the Board and ensuring its proper functioning. The Chair shall convene and chair meetings of the Board. In particular, the Chair will be responsible to:






—


ensure the successful delivery of the mandate entrusted to the Board while adhering to the highest qualitative and ethical standards;










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supported by the Secretariat, convene and chair meetings of the Board and ensure adhering to the Board's Rules of Procedure;










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manage the Board and take overall responsibility for its operations, implementation of annual work programme;










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represent the Board in contacts with the Commission and other EU, national and international bodies and organisations;










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present the Board's annual report.




Members will contribute actively to the Board's work and participate in its executive sessions. Each Member will report to the Chair regarding her/his individual contribution. In particular, a Member will:






—


ensure the achievement of objectives and tasks for the successful delivery of the mandate entrusted to the Board while adhering to the highest qualitative and ethical standards;










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contribute to determining the priorities for the Board's strategic planning;










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contribute to the development and improvement of analytical tools necessary to deliver the Board's mandate.




The Chair and the Members of the Board shall be appointed for a period of three years, renewable once. They will be appointed as Special Advisers (3) and remunerated on a per diem basis based at an AD 15 basic salary for the Chair and an AD 14 basic salary for the Members. It is expected that the Chair will dedicate around 20 full days per year and the Members around 10 full days per year to their respective responsibilities.
Travel and accommodation expenses incurred by the Chair and the Members shall be reimbursed by the Commission upon claim with supporting documents in accordance with the provisions in force within the Commission. In addition a daily allowance will be provided to cover other costs such as meals.
Expenses shall be reimbursed within the limits of the available appropriations allocated under the annual procedure for the allocation of resources.
The Board shall have its own Secretariat for analytical, statistical, administrative and logistical support. The Commission will appoint the Head of Secretariat, after consulting the Chair, for a period of three years, renewable once. The Head of Secretariat will assist with setting-up the Board. The other members of the Secretariat shall be selected on the basis of high levels of qualification and experience in areas relevant for the Board's activity and be assigned or attached (mis à disposition). The Secretariat is attached, for administrative purposes, to the Secretariat-General of the Commission.
3.   INDEPENDENCE

In the performance of their tasks, the members of the Board shall act independently and shall neither seek nor take instructions from the Union's institutions or bodies, from any government of a Member State or from any other public or private body. The members of the secretariat shall take instructions only from the Board.
The members of the Board shall disclose any potential conflict of interest with respect to a particular assessment or opinion to the Chair, who shall take any appropriate measure, and may decide that the member concerned shall not participate in the preparation and adoption of that assessment or opinion. As regards the Chair, any such difficulty shall be settled by decision of the Board.
4.   ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA

To be considered for the selection phase, candidates must fulfil the following formal criteria by the closing date for applications:






—



Professional experience
 (4): have at least 15 years' post-graduate experience acquired after the qualification referred to below was obtained;










—



Relevant professional experience: of the 15 years of professional experience, to have acquired at least 10 years' experience in domains relevant to area of macroeconomic policies, especially in the domain of fiscal policy and budgetary management.










—



University degree or diploma:






—


a level of education which corresponds to completed university studies, attested by a diploma, where the normal period of university education is four years or more; or










—


a level of education which corresponds to completed university studies, attested by a diploma, and appropriate professional experience of at least one year, where the normal period of university education is at least three years (this one year's professional experience cannot be included in the post-graduate professional experience required above);














—



Languages: have a thorough knowledge of one of the official languages of the European Union and an adequate knowledge of at least another of these languages (5).










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Nationality: be a citizen of a Member State of the European Union.




5.   APPLICATION PROCEDURE

Each application must be completed in one of the official languages of the European Union, must clearly indicate the applicant's nationality and include the necessary documentation.
Interested applicants are required to submit their applications in electronic format to the European Commission at the following address: EFB-Secretariat@ec.europa.eu
An application will be deemed admissible only if it is sent by the deadline and includes the documents referred to below. Supporting documents may be requested at a later stage.

Deadline for applications

Deadline for applications: 30 calendar days from the date of the publication of this call for expression of interest in the Official Journal of the European Union.
The Commission reserves the right to extend the closing date of this call for expression of interest by publication in the Official Journal of the European Union only.

Supporting documents

Each application shall include the following supporting documents:






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A cover letter explaining the motivation for answering this call;










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A curriculum vitae;










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A statement listing possible conflicts of interest resulting from membership in the EFB with regard to other occupations held by the candidate.




6.   SELECTION PROCEDURE

The selection procedure will consist of an assessment of the applications against the criteria set out below, followed by the establishment of a list of most fitting applicants. Applicants considered most suitable may be invited for an interview before appointment decisions are made.
The Chair and one member shall be appointed by the Commission upon proposal of the President, after having consulted the Vice-President for the Euro and Social Dialogue and the Commissioner for Economic and Financial Affairs, Taxation and Customs.
The other three members shall be appointed by the Commission upon proposal of the President, after having consulted the national fiscal councils, the European Central Bank and the Eurogroup Working Group.
For all Board members, including the Chair, an equal opportunities policy shall apply.

Selection criteria

The President will take the following criteria into account when assessing applications:






—


Proven and relevant competence and experience of the applicants demonstrating that they are respected international experts as regards macroeconomics, public finances, fiscal policy and budgetary management;










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Deep understanding of the EU fiscal framework and its role for the functioning of the EU and EMU;










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Proven and relevant competence and experience with economic policy making; preferably gained from work in policy-making institutions, policy-advising institutions or academia;










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Knowledge of the EU institutions and EU decision making processes and the role of the European Commission;










—


Experience in carrying out economic analysis from a horizontal, cross country perspective would be an asset










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Ability to develop and implement a strategic vision;










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Outstanding sense of responsibility, resolve, initiative and integrity; and










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Excellent oral and written communication skills in order to liaise, communicate and cooperate efficiently with internal and external stakeholders. Good knowledge of English will be essential.










—


The Chair of the Board will need to demonstrate management skills and ability to build trusting working relationships. Professional experience of leading an organisation in a high level executive role in the relevant field would be an asset.




In the selection process the Commission will also endeavour to strike a balance in terms of representativeness of applicants, gender and geographical origin, taking account of the specific tasks of the European Fiscal Board and the type of expertise required.
7.   TENTATIVE TIMELINE

It is envisaged to hold selection interviews in June so as to ensure that the European Fiscal Board is established and operational by September 2016.
For additional information please send an email to EFB-Secretariat@ec.europa.eu or call the Secretariat at the following number: +32 22920875


(1)  OJ L 282, 28.10.2015, p. 37 and OJ L 40, 17.2.2016, p. 15.

(2)  Council Directive 2011/85/EU of 8 November 2011 on requirements for budgetary frameworks of the Member States (OJ L 306, 23.11.2011, p. 41).

(3)  Article 3(5) of Commission Decision C(2015)8000 provides that ‘the Chair and the Members of the Board shall be appointed as Special Advisors, whose status and remuneration are defined pursuant to Articles 5, 123 and 124 of the Conditions of Employment of Other Servants’.

(4)  Professional experience will be counted from the date on which the applicant acquired the minimum qualification for access to the profile in question.

(5)  Council Regulation (EC) No 920/2005 of 13 June 2005 amending Regulation No 1 of 15 April 1958 determining the language to be used by the European Economic Community and Regulation No 1 of 15 April 1958 determining the language to be used by the European Atomic Energy Community and introducing temporary derogation measures from those Regulations (OJ L 156, 18.6.2005, p. 3).