8.5.2007

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

CA 103/7

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NOTICE OF OPEN COMPETITION EPSO/AD/95/07

(2007/C 103 A/01)

The European Personnel Selection Office (EPSO) is organising the following admission tests and open competition, based on tests, to constitute a reserve from which to recruit

ADMINISTRATORS  (1) (AD5)

IN THE FIELD OF INFORMATION SCIENCES (LIBRARY/DOCUMENTATION)

CONTENTS

I.	ADMISSION TESTS

A.	ELIGIBILITY

B.	TEST PROCEDURES

II.	OPEN COMPETITION

A.	DUTIES AND ELIGIBILITY

B.	TEST PROCEDURES

III.	HOW TO APPLY

IV.	GENERAL INFORMATION

ANNEX:

Requests for review — Appeal procedures — Complaints to the European Ombudsman

I.   ADMISSION TESTS

A.   ELIGIBILITY (conditions to be met by the closing date for registration — 7 June 2007)

On the closing date for online registration (7 June 2007), the appointing authority will admit you to the admission tests if your online registration shows that you satisfy the following requirements:

1.   Qualifications

You must:

—	have completed a full course of university education lasting at least three years and obtained a specialist degree in information, documentation or library sciences, OR

—	have completed a full course of university education lasting at least three years and obtained a degree followed by a recognised specialist qualification in information, documentation or library sciences.

2.   Languages

You must have:

—	main language (language 1) a thorough knowledge of one of the official languages of the European Union, and

—	second language (language 2 — must be different from your main language) a satisfactory knowledge of English, French or German.

When registering online, (2) you must specify your choice of second language (English, French or German: language 2); this will be the language in which you take the admission tests and the competition tests. This choice may not be changed after the deadline for online registration (7 June 2007).

To ensure that all general texts relating to the competition and all communication between candidates and the secretariat of the selection board are clearly understood on both sides, only English, French or German will be used for the invitations to the various tests and correspondence between candidates and the secretariat of the selection board.

The language you choose as your second language will be the language used for communicating with you.

You may send any questions to the European Parliament by e-mail (EPSO-AD-95-07@europarl.europa.eu), but please check first that the information you want is not in the competition notice or the Guide for Applicants or on the EPSO website (http://europa.eu/epso).

3.   You must:

—	be a citizen of a Member State of the European Union,

—	enjoy full rights as a citizen,

—	have fulfilled any military service obligations imposed on you by law,

—	meet the character requirements for the duties involved.

B.   TEST PROCEDURES

EPSO will organise computer-based admission tests for all the candidates who meet the conditions set out in I.A. The tests will be held in the European Union in one or more centres specialised in this type of test, depending on availability.

You will be informed of the procedure for attending these tests via your EPSO profile.

You will take the admission tests in English, French or German (language 2).

(a)	A test comprising a series of multiple-choice questions to assess your knowledge of the European Union, its institutions and its policies. This test will be marked out of 10 (pass mark: 5).

(b)	A test comprising a series of multiple-choice questions to assess your general ability, in particular your verbal and numerical reasoning skills. This test will be marked out of 20 (pass mark: 10).

Wrong answers in these tests will not be penalised.

The candidates with the 60 highest marks (3) in the admission tests and a pass mark in each will be invited to submit a full application for admission to the open competition. Once the selection board has examined these applications, candidates who meet all the eligibility criteria will be invited to the written tests.

II.   OPEN COMPETITION

A.   DUTIES AND ELIGIBILITY (conditions to be met by the closing date for registration — 7 June 2007)

Open competition EPSO/AD/95/07 is being organised to recruit administrators (AD5) in the field of information sciences (library/documentation)

The purpose of this competition is to draw up a reserve list from which to fill vacant posts notably at the European Parliament.

The European Commission is not involved in this competition and will therefore not be recruiting anyone from the reserve list.

Number of successful candidates: 20

1.   Duties

As a specialist in information sciences, your tasks will include:

—	helping manage the library, if necessary by assisting with the day-to-day running,

—	performing a key role in one of the library's areas of activity, e.g. customer service, online services, resource management, staff training,

—	taking charge of a sector of the library relating to resources or systems (e.g. managing collections, periodicals, databases, the library management system, the intranet site),

—	analysing information needs connected with parliamentary initiatives and working procedures and identifying solutions,

—	leading teams of specialist and/or support staff, guaranteeing the application of professional standards, managing and training staff,

—	managing projects,

—	drafting summaries and briefing notes,

—	taking part in tender procedures and contract management either as lead official or assistant,

—	representing the library in interdepartmental working groups,

—	handling enquiries, selecting information, cataloguing and indexing documents, giving presentations, leading training sessions for customers and performing any other professional tasks that prove necessary.

The European Union institutions place particular importance on the ability of applicants to grasp problems of all kinds, often complex in nature, to react rapidly to changing circumstances and to communicate effectively. You will have to show initiative and imagination and be highly motivated. You should be able to work frequently under pressure, both on your own and in a team, and adjust to a multicultural working environment. You will also be expected to develop your professional skills throughout your career.

2.   General conditions

The appointing authority will draw up a list of candidates who meet the conditions set out at I.A.3 above and send it to the chair of the selection board together with their application files. The competition notice does not set any age limit, but please note the information under IV.7 of this notice of competition.

3.   Specific conditions of admission

The Selection Board will admit to the written tests the candidates with the 60 highest aggregate marks (3) in the admission tests (a) and (b) and a pass mark in each, and who meet the following criteria:

(a)   Qualifications

You must:

—	have completed a full course of university education lasting at least three years and obtained a specialist degree in information, documentation or library sciences, OR

—	have completed a full course of university education lasting at least three years and obtained a degree followed by a recognised specialist qualification in information, documentation or library sciences.

The selection board will allow for differences between education systems. For examples of the minimum qualifications required, see the tables annexed to the Guide for Applicants (http://europa.eu/epso/on-line-applications/pdf/guide_version070220_en.pdf) for each category. Note that these are examples only — stricter requirements may be set in the competition notice.

(b)   Languages

You must have:

—	main language (language 1) a thorough knowledge of one of the official languages of the European Union, and

—	second language (language 2 — must be different from your main language) a satisfactory knowledge of English, French or German.

B.   TEST PROCEDURES

1.   Written tests — marking

You will take written tests (a) and (b) in English, French or German (language 2).

(a)	Test comprising a series of multiple-choice questions to assess your specific knowledge in the field in question. This test will be marked out of 40 (pass mark: 20). Time allowed (approximate indication): 1 hour.

(b)	Test on a subject of your choice in the field concerned, to assess: — your knowledge, — your ability to understand, analyse and summarise, and — your drafting ability. This test will be marked out of 40 (pass mark: 20). Time allowed (approximate indication): 2 hours.

(c)

Drafting a brief memo in your main language (language 1) setting out the arguments and conclusions of test (b). This test is intended to assess your command of your main language in terms of both drafting and presentation. This test will be marked out of 10 (pass mark: 8). Time allowed (approximate indication): 30 minutes.

These written tests will be held simultaneously at one or more centres in the European Union for all the candidates who meet the eligibility criteria and were among those with the highest aggregate marks in the admission tests and a pass mark in each.

The date of the written tests scheduled by the European Parliament cannot be changed at your request. You will be notified of this date when you receive your invitation to the tests (via your EPSO profile).

2.   Oral test — marking

Once the written tests have been marked, the Selection Board will invite to the oral test the candidates with the 30 highest aggregate marks (3) in the tests and a pass mark in each.

(d)

Interview with the selection board in English, French or German (language 2) to enable it to complete its assessment of: — your suitability to perform the duties described at II.A.I. above, — your specialist knowledge in the field concerned, — your knowledge of the European Union, its institutions and its policies, — your motivation and your ability to adjust to working as a European civil servant in a multicultural environment.

Your knowledge of your main language (language 1) will also be examined.

The test will be marked out of 50 (pass mark: 25).

The oral test will normally be held in Luxembourg.

3.   Reserve list

The Selection Board will place on the reserve list the names of the candidates with the 20 highest aggregate marks (3) in the written and oral tests and a pass mark in each.

The list will be drawn up by merit group (maximum of four groups), and the names of the successful candidates will be given in alphabetical order within each group.

The reserve list and its expiry date will be published in the Official Journal of the European Union  (4) and on the EPSO website (http://europa.eu/epso).

III.   HOW TO APPLY

Please also consult the Guide for Applicants (http://europa.eu/epso/on-line-applications/pdf/guide_version061110_en.pdf), which can be found on the EPSO website (http://europa.eu/epso). It contains detailed instructions to help you submit your application correctly.

The closing date for online registration is 7 June 2007, with a deadline of 12.00 noon Brussels time on that day.

1.   Creating an EPSO profile/online registration

Before registering for the admission tests, you should carefully check whether you meet all the eligibility criteria (Sections I and II).

If you want to apply, you must register via the Internet by going to the EPSO website and following the instructions there concerning the various stages of the procedure.

It is your responsibility to complete your online registration in time. We strongly advise you not to wait until the last few days before applying, since heavy Internet traffic or a problem with the Internet connection could lead to the online registration being terminated before you complete it, thereby obliging you to repeat the whole process. Once the deadline for registration has passed, you will not be able to register.

On completion of your online registration, you will receive on screen a registration number which you must note — this will be your reference number in all matters concerning your application. Once you receive this number, the registration process is finished — it is the confirmation that we have registered the data you entered.

If you do not receive a number, your application has not been registered!

Please note that you must have an e-mail address. This will be used to identify you. The information you must enter in your registration includes your choice of languages and details of the qualifications required for admission to the competition (qualification, name of issuing establishment and date obtained).

No documents are required at this stage. Candidates will subsequently be invited to send a full application (see Section III.3).

Once you have registered online, you can follow the progress of the competition by going to the EPSO website (http://europa.eu/epso) and clicking on ‘Ongoing competitions’.

If you have a disability that prevents you from registering online, you may request — preferably by fax — a paper version of the form  (5) , which you should fill in, sign and return by registered mail, postmarked no later than the closing date for registration. All subsequent communication between EPSO and you will be by post.

You must enclose with your registration form a certificate attesting your disability, issued by a recognised body. You should also set out on a separate sheet of paper any special arrangements you think are needed to make it easier for you to take part in the various tests.

2.   Invitations to the tests

Details of when and where to attend the admission tests and other tests will be available only on the EPSO website (http://europa.eu/epso). You can access this information by entering the user name and password you specified when registering online. You are responsible for updating your EPSO profile to reflect any change in your postal or e-mail address.

You are also responsible for consulting your EPSO profile to keep track of the progress of the competition and to check the information relevant to your application at every stage. If you find that you cannot do this, you must notify by e-mail (EPSO-AD-95-07@europarl.europa.eu) immediately.

Wherever possible, you will be invited to sit the admission tests in the city you chose when registering online. For organisational reasons you will not be able to switch to another venue unless you can prove that you have changed residence and unless you have informed EPSO of this at least three weeks before the planned date of the admission tests.

3.   Full application

The candidates with the highest marks, as specified in Section I.B, will be asked to print out and complete the full application form which they will find in their EPSO profile on the website. It must be sent in by the required closing date (6).

Documents to enclose

Your application must give full details of your citizenship, studies and, where appropriate, professional experience. You must enclose with your application the following documents:

—	a detailed curriculum vitae,

—	copy of a document proving your citizenship (e.g. a passport, identity card or any other official document specifying your citizenship),

—	a copy of the diploma(s) attesting successful completion of your studies,

—	where applicable, employers' references clearly indicating the starting and finishing dates and the level and exact nature of the duties carried out,

—	on a separate sheet, a numbered index of the above documents.

All documents not in English, French or German must be accompanied by a translation into one of those languages, which you may do yourself.

A CURRICULUM VITAE DOES NOT CONSTITUTE A VALID SUPPORTING DOCUMENT.

You should only send uncertified photocopies of these documents. Paper copies of web pages and/or references to websites do not constitute supporting documents for these purposes.

When completing your application form, you may not refer to any previous application forms submitted or any other documents enclosed with such applications. None of the documents submitted with your application will be returned.

Signing and sending the form

It is your responsibility to make sure that your application form, duly completed, SIGNED and accompanied by all the supporting documents, is sent by registered post to the address below by the closing date  (6) (the postmark will serve as proof of the date of sending):

EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT

Competition Unit

Bâtiment Konrad Adenauer, bureau 3E008

Open competition EPSO/AD/95/07

L-2929 Luxembourg

Scrutiny of applications

The selection board will examine the files of the candidates with the highest aggregate marks in the admission tests and a pass mark in each (see Section I.B) to determine whether they meet the criteria laid down in Section II.A.2 and 3 of this notice. The candidates who meet all the criteria will be invited to the written tests.

You will be disqualified if:

—	you do not complete your online registration by the deadline (7 June 2007),

—	you do not complete and/or sign the application form (original signature required),

—	you do not meet all the eligibility criteria,

—	you post your application after the closing date (6),

—	you do not send all the required supporting documents.

4.   Reserve list

The names of the successful candidates (see Section II.B.3) will be placed on the reserve list.

5.	If, at any stage in the procedure, it is found that the information in your online registration or official application form is incorrect, you will be disqualified from the competition.

6.	To simplify administration of the competition, please quote in all correspondence YOUR FULL NAME, AS GIVEN ON YOUR APPLICATION, THE NUMBER OF THE COMPETITION, AND THE REFERENCE NUMBER YOU RECEIVED WHEN YOUR ONLINE REGISTRATION WAS ACCEPTED.

IV.   GENERAL INFORMATION

1.   Equal opportunities

The European Union institutions apply a policy of equal opportunities and accept applications without distinction on the grounds of sex, race, colour, ethnic or social origin, genetic features, language, religion or belief, political or any other opinion, membership of a national minority, property, birth, disability, age or sexual orientation.

2.   Selection board

A selection board is appointed for each competition. Its members are designated by the institutions and their staff committees in equal numbers. The chair and members are then appointed by EPSO's appointing authority. Their names will be published on the EPSO website after candidates have been notified whether they have been admitted to the competition.

The European Parliament is responsible for all communication with candidates until the competition is completed. You are strictly forbidden to make any contact with the members of the selection board, either directly or indirectly. Any infringement of this rule will disqualify you from the competition.

3.   Approximate timetable

Depending on the total number of candidates, the competition will take approximately one year altogether from the closing date for online registration.

Full details will be available on the EPSO website.

4.   Requests from candidates for access to information concerning them

Candidates involved in selection procedures have the specific right of access to certain information concerning them directly and individually, as described below. EPSO may therefore supply supplementary information on candidates' participation in the competition at their request. Candidates must send such requests in writing to EPSO within a month of being notified of their results in the competition. EPSO will reply within a month of receiving the request. Requests will be dealt with taking account of the confidential nature of selection board proceedings provided for by the Staff Regulations (Annex III, Article 6) and in compliance with the rules on the protection of individuals with regard to the processing of personal data. Examples of the type of information which may be supplied are given in the Guide for Applicants, Section III.3.

5.   Requests for review — Appeal procedures — Complaints to the European Ombudsman

See Annex.

6.   Recruitment/Career

If you are placed on the reserve list, you will be eligible for appointment as a probationary official as and when required by the European institutions, in Brussels, Luxembourg or any other place of activity.

If you are on the reserve list and are offered a post, you will be asked to produce the originals of all the requisite documents, in particular your qualifications, so that copies can be authenticated.

Recruitment will depend on posts and funds becoming available.

Depending on the nature of a post, successful candidates on the reserve list may initially be offered a temporary contract; in this case, their names will remain on the reserve list.

Article 45(2) of the Staff Regulations requires officials to demonstrate the ability to work in a third language before their first promotion after recruitment.

Article 29(1)(b) of the Staff Regulations refers to the possibility for officials to request a transfer to another institution or agency. However, in the interests of the service, during their first three years of service newly recruited officials are transferred only in exceptional and duly justified cases. Any such transfer is subject to the agreement of both the institution or agency that originally recruited the official and the institution or agency receiving the transfer request.

7.   Retirement

You should note that under the Staff Regulations staff are retired:

—	either automatically at the age of 65 years,

—	or, at the official's own request, at the age of 63 years or where the official is between 55 and 63 years of age and satisfies the requirements for immediate payment of a pension,

—	exceptionally, at the official's own request and where it is considered to be in the interest of the service, at not later than the age of 67.

8.   Grade

Administrators will be recruited from the reserve list to grade AD5.

9.   Remuneration

Basic monthly salary as at 1 January 2007:

grade AD5, first step: EUR 4 012,00.

10.   Protection of personal data

As the body responsible for organising the competition, EPSO ensures that applicants' personal data are processed as required by Regulation (EC) No 45/2001 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 18 December 2000 on the protection of individuals with regard to the processing of personal data by the Community institutions and bodies and on the free movement of such data (7). This applies in particular to the confidentiality and security of such data.

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(1)  The European Union institutions apply a policy of equal opportunities and accept applications without distinction on the grounds of sex, race, colour, ethnic or social origin, genetic features, language, religion or belief, political or any other opinion, membership of a national minority, property, birth, disability, age or sexual orientation.

(2)  For practical reasons this form is available in English, French or German only.

(3)  Where a number of candidates tie for the last available place, they will all be admitted to the next stage of the competition.

(4)  Successful candidates may explicitly request that their names not be published. Requests must reach EPSO no more than two weeks after candidates are notified of the results.

(5)  EPSO — Info-recruitment, Avenue de Cortenbergh 80 — 4/11, B-1049 Brussels; Fax (32-2) 295 74 88

(6)  The closing date will be indicated in good time in your EPSO profile.

(7)  OJ L 8, 12.1.2001, p. 1.

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