1.   Background

The Commission established an independent European Fiscal Board (‘the Board’) in 2015 (1). Its mission is to contribute in an advisory capacity to the exercise of the Commission’s and the Council’s functions in the multilateral fiscal surveillance, as set out in Articles 121, 126 and 136 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU). Commission Decision (EU) 2024/2115 (2) revised the original establishment decision to take into account the new European economic governance framework and the tasks attributed to the Board in that context.

The mandate of the current Board members comes to an end on 19 October 2024, and it is therefore necessary to launch a call for expression of interest to appoint the new Board members.

2.   Composition of the Board and appointment

The Board is comprised of a Chair and four members. The Commission shall strive to ensure, to the extent possible, appropriate geographical and gender balance in the composition of the Board.

The Chair and the members of the Board will be selected and appointed among internationally renowned experts on the basis of merit, skills, and knowledge to be assessed according to proven analytical experience and competences in the analysis of public finances and in macroeconomics. Specific eligibility and selection criteria are detailed below.

The Chair and the members of the Board will be appointed by the Commission upon a proposal of the President, after having consulted the portfolio Commissioners and the Vice President as appropriate. The Chair and the members of the Board are appointed for a period of three years renewable once.

The successful candidates will 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. They will be 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. Travel and subsistence expenses incurred by the Chair and the members are reimbursed by the Commission in accordance with the provisions in force. The expenses are reimbursed within the limits of the available appropriations allocated under the annual procedure for the allocation of resources.

It is expected that the Chair and the members dedicate respectively around 40 and 20 full days per year to her/his responsibilities.

3.   The Board’s tasks

The reform of the EU’s economic governance framework, which entered into force on 30 April 2024, includes Regulation (EU) 2024/1263 of the European Parliament and the Council (3) on the effective coordination of economic policies and on multilateral budgetary surveillance. The regulation refers to the Board as a permanent and more independent entity that should play a more prominent advisory role in the economic governance framework of the Union.

The tasks of the Board are defined in Decision (EU) 2024/2115:

(a)	providing a timely ex post evaluation of the implementation of the Union fiscal governance framework;

(b)	advising on the prospective fiscal stance appropriate for the euro area as a whole, as well as on the appropriate national fiscal stances that are consistent with it within the rules of the Stability and Growth Pact;

(c)	upon request of the Commission or the Council, providing advice on the implementation of the Stability and Growth Pact, including on the extension of the general escape clause in accordance with Article 25 of Regulation (EU) 2024/1263;

(d)	cooperating closely with independent fiscal institutions as referred to in Article 8a of Council Directive 2011/85/EU (4);

(e)	making suggestions for the future evolution of the fiscal framework.

4.   Independence

The Chair and the members of the Board shall act independently. They 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 Board shall disclose any potential conflict of interest with respect to a particular assessment or opinion to the Chair, who shall take appropriate measures, and may decide that the member concerned shall not participate in the preparation and adoption of that assessment or opinion. The Board will address potential conflicts of interest of the Chair.

The Secretariat consists of a Head of Secretariat and dedicated supporting staff. In carrying out the tasks assigned to the Board, the Secretariat operates only on instructions from the Board.

5.   Job description

The Board, supported by its Secretariat, ensures the achievement of objectives and tasks laid out in Decision (EU) 2024/2115 (see point 3 above). To that end it contributes:

—	to determining the priorities for the Board’s strategic planning,

—	to the development and improvement of analytical tools necessary to deliver the Board’s mandate.

The Board shall report once a year on its activities to the European Parliament, the Council and the Commission. All reports and advice of the Board are made public.

6.   Eligibility criteria

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

—	Professional experience  (5): have at least 15 years of experience acquired after the education qualification referred to below was obtained,

—	Relevant professional experience: have at least 10 years’ experience in domains relevant to the 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, where the normal period of university education is three years, appropriate professional experience of at least one year (this one-year professional experience cannot be included in the postgraduate 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 (6),

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

7.   Selection criteria

The following criteria will be taken into account when assessing applications:

—	proven and relevant competence and experience demonstrating that the applicants are respected international experts as regards macroeconomics, public finances, fiscal policy and budgetary management,

—	deep understanding of the EU fiscal framework and its role for the functioning of the EU and the Economic and Monetary Union,

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

—	knowledge of the EU institutions and EU decision-making processes,

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

—	ability to develop and implement a strategic vision,

—	outstanding sense of responsibility, resolve, initiative and integrity, and

—	excellent oral and written communication skills in order to liaise, communicate and cooperate efficiently with internal and external stakeholders.

8.   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 required supporting documents.

Interested applicants are required to submit their applications in electronic format to the European Commission at the following address: EFB-team@ec.europa.eu.

An application will be deemed admissible only if it is sent by the deadline and includes the documents referred to below. Further supporting documents may be requested at a later stage.

9.   Deadline for applications

Deadline for applications: 45 working days from publication of this call midnight, Brussels time.

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.

10.   Supporting documents

Each application shall include the following supporting documents:

—	a cover letter explaining the motivation for answering this call,

—	a curriculum vitae,

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

11.   Selection procedure

The selection procedure will consist of an assessment of the applications against the criteria set out above, followed by the establishment of a list of most suitable applicants. Applicants considered most suitable will be invited for an interview before appointment decisions are made. The Commission will send the list of proposed appointees to the European Parliament and the Council for consultation, and request their views within a month.

12.   Equal opportunities

The Commission will apply the policy of equal opportunities policy and will take care to avoid any form of discrimination in its recruitment procedures.

13.   Protection of personal data

The Commission will ensure that candidates’ personal data are processed as required by Regulation (EU) 2018/1725 of the European Parliament and of the Council (7). This applies in particular to the confidentiality and security of such data.

14.   Tentative timeline

It is envisaged to hold selection interviews in October 2024.

For additional information please send an email to EFB-Team@ec.europa.eu or call the following number: +32 22969244.

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

(2)  Commission Decision (EU) 2024/2115 of 29 July 2024 establishing an independent advisory European Fiscal Board and repealing Decision (EU) 2015/1937 (OJ L, 2024/2115, 1.8.2024, ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/dec/2024/2115/oj).

(3)  Regulation (EU) 2024/1263 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 29 April 2024 on the effective coordination of economic policies and on multilateral budgetary surveillance and repealing Council Regulation (EC) No 1466/97 (OJ L, 2024/1263, 30.4.2024, ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/reg/2024/1263/oj).

(4)  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, ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/dir/2011/85/oj).

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

(6)  EEC Council Regulation No 1 determining the languages to be used by the European Economic Community (OJ 17, 6.10.1958, p. 385/58, ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/reg/1958/1(1)/oj).

(7)  Regulation (EU) 2018/1725 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 23 October 2018 on the protection of natural persons with regard to the processing of personal data by the Union institutions, bodies, offices and agencies and on the free movement of such data, and repealing Regulation (EC) No 45/2001 and Decision No 1247/2002/EC (OJ L 295, 21.11.2018, p. 39, ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/reg/2018/1725/oj).