CASE 72/86 ), MARIA-LUISA MASCARELLO D' ERME ( CASE 73/86 ) AND MARIO COSTACURTA ( CASE 78/86 ), OFFICIALS OF THE COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES, BROUGHT ACTIONS FOR THE ANNULMENT OF THE DECISION WHEREBY THE SELECTION BOARD FOR INTERNAL COMPETITION COM/A/8/84 REFUSED TO ALLOW THEM TO TAKE PART IN THE TRAINING STAGE ENVISAGED FOR THAT COMPETITION .
2 BY AN ORDER OF 15 MAY 1986 THE COURT DECIDED TO JOIN THE CASES FOR THE PURPOSES OF THE WRITTEN AND ORAL PROCEDURE AND THE JUDGMENT .
3 INTERNAL COMPETITION COM/A/8/84, BASED ON QUALIFICATIONS AND TESTS, WHICH WAS THE SUBJECT OF A COMPETITION NOTICE PUBLISHED ON 18 JUNE 1984, WAS ORGANIZED BY THE COMMISSION WITH A VIEW TO CONSTITUTING A RESERVE OF ADMINISTRATORS IN GRADES A 7 AND A 6 . IT WAS OPEN ONLY TO OFFICIALS CLASSIFIED IN GRADES B 3 TO B 1 SINCE 1980 AND WAS DESIGNED TO ENABLE OFFICIALS TO MOVE FROM CATEGORY B TO CATEGORY A . 283 CANDIDATES, INCLUDING THE APPLICANTS, WERE ALLOWED TO PARTICIPATE IN THE COMPETITION .
4 THE COMPETITION WAS DIVIDED INTO THREE STAGES : A PRESELECTION STAGE A TRAINING STAGE, AND LASTLY AN ORAL TEST .
5 DURING THE FIRST STAGE, IT WAS THE TASK OF THE SELECTION BOARD, IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE COMPETITION NOTICE, TO DESIGNATE THE CANDIDATES CONSIDERED BEST QUALIFIED TO PROCEED TO THE NEXT STAGE, ON THE BASIS OF THEIR PERSONAL FILES AND OF THE RESULT OF A WRITTEN PAPER DESIGNED TO TEST GENERAL KNOWLEDGE AND JUDGMENT ( THE TEST TAKING THE FORM OF A SUMMARY OF A CASE STUDY LASTING NOT MORE THAN TWO HOURS ). IT WAS EXPLAINED THAT THE ASSESSMENT WOULD BE AN OVERALL ONE; NONE OF THE ELEMENTS WOULD BE ELIMINATORY IN ITSELF .
6 BY IDENTICALLY WORDED LETTERS OF 12 DECEMBER 1985, 165 CANDIDATES, INCLUDING THE APPLICANTS, WERE INFORMED THAT THEY HAD NOT BEEN ADMITTED TO THE TRAINING STAGE .
7 IN RESPONSE TO THAT LETTER, SOME OF THE APPLICANTS LODGED A COMPLAINT UNDER ARTICLE 90 OF THE STAFF REGULATIONS, WHILST OTHERS REQUESTED FURTHER INFORMATION REGARDING THE SELECTION BOARD' S ASSESSMENT OF THEM .
8 BY A FURTHER IDENTICALLY WORDED LETTER DATED 14 FEBRUARY 1986, THE 165 CANDIDATES WHO HAD NOT BEEN ADMITTED TO THE TRAINING STAGE WERE INFORMED OF THE GENERAL CRITERIA APPLIED BY THE SELECTION BOARD AT THE PRESELECTION STAGE, IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE NOTICE OF COMPETITION .
9 THE SUBMISSIONS WHICH THE APPLICANTS PUT FORWARD IN SUPPORT OF THEIR APPLICATIONS ARE THAT THE NOTICE OF COMPETITION AND THE COMPOSITION OF THE SELECTION BOARD WERE IRREGULAR, THAT THE WRITTEN PAPER DID NOT ACCORD WITH THE NOTICE OF COMPETITION, THAT THERE WAS A LACK OF TRANSPARENCY, PARTICULARLY IN THE EVALUATION OF THE PERSONAL FILES, MANIFEST ERROR, MISUSE OF POWERS AND DISCRIMINATION ON GROUNDS OF NATIONALITY SUCH AS TO VITIATE THE CONTESTED DECISIONS AND, LASTLY, THAT THE REASONS ON WHICH THOSE DECISIONS WERE BASED WERE NOT STATED .
10 REFERENCE IS MADE TO THE REPORT FOR THE HEARING FOR A FULLER ACCOUNT OF