(1)

The provisions of these general rules apply unless the notice of competition states otherwise.

(2)

Candidates receive time-sensitive information in their EPSO accounts. They should check their EPSO account at least every 3 calendar days to keep track of their progress during the competition and to avoid missing a deadline.

If a candidate cannot check their EPSO account due to a technical problem on the part of EPSO, they must notify EPSO immediately via the online contact form (1).

(3)

Where several candidates tie for the last available place at any phase of the competition, they will all go on to the next phase of the competition. Where several candidates tie for the last available place on the reserve list, they will all be included on the reserve list.

(4)

Any candidates readmitted following a successful request, complaint, or appeal will either (a) re-enter the competition at the phase from which they had been excluded or (b) be added to the reserve list, as applicable.

(5)

When EPSO addresses a candidate via the EPSO account or by email, it will do so in one of the languages that the candidate has declared to have knowledge of at level B2 or higher (2) in the ‘Ability to read’ section of the application form.

(6)

Candidates can contact EPSO via the online contact form available on the EPSO website (3). Before contacting EPSO, candidates are invited to consult the ‘frequently asked questions’ section on the EPSO website (4).

(7)

EPSO reserves the right to cease any improper (i.e. repetitive, abusive and/or irrelevant) correspondence.

(1)

Degrees, diplomas and/or certificates, whether issued in Member States or non-EU countries, must be recognised by a competent authority of a Member State.

(2)

The differences between national education systems, in particular the differences between the titles given to degrees, diplomas and certificates, will be taken into account when assessing whether candidates have the qualifications required by the notice of competition.

(3)

For any educational qualification, candidates should indicate the title, level of education, subjects covered, start and end dates of the studies, and the regular/official study duration.

(4)

In the ‘Education’ tab of the application form, candidates should also include their secondary education qualification.

(1)

To be taken into account, professional experience must meet the following general conditions:

(2)

Professional experience, as listed below, will also be considered in the light of specific rules, including certain exemptions from the requirements referred to in paragraph (1) above:

(1)

Candidates will have to upload — to their EPSO account — scanned copies of the documents supporting the declarations made in their application form. They will have to do so by the date established in the notice of competition or — if no date is set by the notice — by the date indicated by EPSO.

(2)

Failure to provide supporting document(s) by the date mentioned above may result in a candidate being considered ineligible or in their specific qualifications or experience not being taken into account.

(3)

At any phase of the procedure, candidates may be requested (typically, via an email) to provide additional information or documents.

(4)

Among other documents, candidates will have to upload a copy of their identity card or passport which must be valid on the closing date for the applications. When requested, candidates will have to present an original of their identity card or a passport.

(5)

As a proof of their educational qualifications and training, candidates will have to provide:

(6)

All periods of professional activity must be covered by originals or certified copies of the following documents:

(1)

The Selection Board of the competition decides on the difficulty of the competition tests and approves their content, assesses the candidates’ compliance with the specific eligibility conditions, compares candidates’ merits, and selects the best candidates in the light of the requirements set out in the notice of competition.

(2)

The proceedings of the Selection Board are secret.

(3)

The work of the Selection Board is facilitated by EPSO.

(1)

The names of the Board members are published on the EPSO website (5).

(2)

Candidates, Selection Board members, and EPSO staff members facilitating the organisation of a specific competition are required to declare any conflict of interest that might arise, in particular, in cases of a family or direct working relationship. A situation that might constitute a conflict of interest must be declared to EPSO as soon as the person concerned becomes aware of it. EPSO will evaluate each case individually and take appropriate measures.

(3)

To ensure the Selection Board’s independence, except in expressly authorised cases, it is strictly forbidden for candidates or anyone outside the Board to attempt to contact any of its members on any matter related to the competition or the Board’s proceedings.

(4)

Candidates who wish to state their case to the Selection Board must do so in writing, submitting this correspondence via EPSO (6).

(5)

A breach of any of the rules mentioned above could result in disciplinary action against a Selection Board member or EPSO staff member and/or in disqualification of a candidate from the competition (see Section 6).

(1)

Tests will be held and proctored (invigilated) remotely (online). The IT requirements for passing the tests are specified on the EPSO website (7). Candidates are strongly encouraged to consult the website as early as possible to make sure their digital set-up meets the prescribed requirements.

(2)

Candidates must book a test appointment following the instructions received from EPSO. The booking and testing periods are limited.

(3)

All other necessary details and instructions will be specified in the invitation letters to the tests.

(4)

In cases where candidates fail to book, sit or complete one or more of the tests, it will be considered that their participation in the competition has come to an end, unless the candidates can prove that the failure to book, sit or complete a test was due to circumstances beyond the candidates’ control or due to a situation of force majeure. Failure to comply with the terms and conditions for testing specified in the instructions and information made available to candidates will not be considered as a circumstance beyond the candidates’ control or a situation of force majeure.

(1)

Candidates may be disqualified at any stage of the competition on the following grounds:

(2)

Candidates for recruitment by the EU institutions are expected to act with the highest possible integrity, in accordance with Article 27, first paragraph, and Article 28(c) of the Staff Regulations. In case of fraud or attempted fraud, EPSO may decide to declare a candidate ineligible for future competitions for a limited period of time.

(1)

If at any phase of the selection procedure candidates encounter a serious technical or organisational problem, they should inform EPSO via the online contact form (8).

(2)

For issues with the application form, candidates must contact EPSO immediately and in any case before the deadline for applications.

(3)

If the problem occurs during remote testing, a candidate must do both of the following:

(4)

Claims made in the context of complaints referred to in Sections 7.2.2 and 7.3.1 and based on alleged technical and/or organisational issues that had not been reported in accordance with Section 7.1, will be rejected.

(1)

Candidates who consider that they have justifiable reasons to believe that an error in one or more of the questions in the multiple-choice-question (MCQ) test affected their ability to answer, may ask for the question(s) concerned to be reviewed.

(2)

The Selection Board may decide to ‘neutralise’ the question(s) containing the error: cancel the question(s) concerned and redistribute the points initially allocated to that/those question(s) among the remaining questions of the test. Only those candidates who received the question(s) concerned will be affected by the recalculation. The scoring of the tests remains as indicated in the relevant sections of the notice of competition.

(3)

To introduce a complaint about MCQ test question(s), a candidate should:

(4)

Complaints submitted after the deadline or complaints which do not clearly describe the contested question(s) and/or alleged error(s) will not be taken into account. In particular, complaints merely pointing out alleged issues of translation, without specifying the problem, will not be taken into account.

(5)

Claims made in the context of complaints referred to in Section 7.3.1 and based on alleged issues in MCQ test questions that had not been reported in accordance with Section 7.2.1, will be rejected.

(1)

Candidates can request a review of a decision taken by the Selection Board, which establishes their results, determines whether they can proceed to the next phase of the competition, or affects their legal status as a candidate in another way.

(2)

The purpose of the review procedure is to allow the Selection Board to amend the contested decision in cases where there is a reason to do so (such as a mistake in the assessment). In the review procedure, the Selection Board will review its assessment of the candidate’s merits and will either confirm its initial conclusions or provide a revised assessment.

(3)

The Selection Board will not reply to any legal arguments, whether related to the contested assessment or not. Any arguments of a legal nature and claims related to the legal framework of the competition may be put forward in the form of an administrative complaint (see Section 7.3.1).

(4)

The simple fact that candidates may disagree with the evaluation by the Selection Board of their performance in a test or of their qualifications and/or experience, does not mean that the Selection Board made an error of assessment. The Selection Board enjoys a wide margin of discretion in making value judgements about candidates’ performance, qualifications, and experience.

(5)

No request for review is possible in relation to MCQ test results.

(6)

To introduce a request for review, a candidate must:

(7)

Candidates will receive an automatic acknowledgment that their request has been received. The Selection Board will examine the request for review and will inform the candidate of its decision as soon as possible.

(8)

Requests for review received after the deadline indicated in point (6)(a) above will be considered inadmissible and will not be examined, except where the candidates can prove a situation of force majeure.

(1)

Candidates may lodge an administrative complaint against a measure (a decision or an absence of it) if:

(2)

The complaint can be made against the absence of a decision in those cases where there is an obligation to take a decision within a deadline specified in the Staff Regulations.

(3)

Candidates who have submitted a request for review (see Section 7.2.2) must wait until they are notified of the reply to that request before they decide whether to introduce an administrative complaint. In such cases, the deadline for introducing an administrative complaint starts running from the date of notification of the decision of the Selection Board on the request for review.

(4)

Administrative complaints are examined by the Director of EPSO acting as the appointing authority under Article 90(2) of the Staff Regulations.

(5)

The purpose of the administrative complaints’ procedure is to verify if the legal framework of the competition has been respected. The candidates should note that the Director of EPSO cannot overturn a value judgement made by a Selection Board and has no legal powers to change the substance of a Selection Board’s decision. If the Director of EPSO finds a procedural mistake or a manifest error of assessment, the case will be referred back to the Selection Board for reassessment.

(6)

To introduce an administrative complaint, a candidate should:

(7)

Administrative complaints received after the deadline set in Article 90(2) of the Staff Regulations will be considered inadmissible.

(1)

Candidates have a right to submit a judicial appeal to the General Court, under Article 270 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union and Article 91 of the Staff Regulations.

(2)

Judicial appeals against decisions taken by EPSO (rather than by the Selection Board) will not be admissible before the General Court unless a candidate has duly availed themselves of the remedy of an administrative complaint under Article 90(2) of the Staff Regulations (see Section 7.3.1 above).

(3)

All the information on judicial appeals can be found on the website of the General Court (13).

(1)

All EU citizens and residents can make a complaint to the European Ombudsman about instances of maladministration.

(2)

Before submitting a complaint to the Ombudsman, candidates must first have exhausted the internal remedies provided by EPSO (see Sections 7.1 and 7.2 above).

(3)

Complaints made to the Ombudsman have no suspensive effect on the deadlines laid down for lodging requests, complaints, or judicial appeals referred to in these rules.

(4)

All the information on complaints to the Ombudsman can be found on the dedicated website (14).

1.

Ensuring surveillance of and reporting on economic, macro-financial and fiscal/budgetary developments and policies of the Member States, the Euro area, the European Union, or important partner countries (including the United States, China, and EU neighbourhood countries).

2.

Preparing economic and fiscal/budgetary forecasts.

3.

Analysing macroeconomic/macro-financial indicators, financial stability and imbalances or designing, implementing and/or assessing policy measures to reduce imbalances.

4.

Contributing to the formulation and assessment of economic policies, including in fields such as fiscal and monetary policy, macro-financial policies, energy, employment, education, and other structural policies aimed at promoting investment and growth, public finance, competition, industrial policy, financial institutions and markets.

5.

Developing, using, and evaluating macroeconomic models (e.g. dynamic stochastic general equilibrium (DSGE) models) and other micro- and macroeconomic tools for the analysis and evaluation of economic developments and policy performance; performing empirical micro- or macro-econometric analysis and/or model simulation to underpin the formulation and evaluation of economic policies, including in fields such as macroeconomic stabilisation, public finance, structural reforms (e.g. product markets, labour markets, tax-benefit systems, pensions, health, long-term care), financial institutions and markets, customs, trade, competition, industrial policy, technology and innovation.

6.

Analysing the economic impact and performance of the EU budget and its programmes.

7.

Applying micro or macroeconomic analysis to legislative and policy work across different sectors.

8.

Ensuring analysis and evidence-based policy formulation to promote productivity, investment, inclusive growth, preparedness for the green and digital transitions, and resilience in the face of major economic shocks. Studying the economic and fiscal impacts of climate change and energy policies.

9.

Liaising with, reporting to, and negotiating with international economic and financial institutions, public authorities and other stakeholders in the implementation of economic surveillance and in the formulation and assessment of economic policy measures.

1.

Ensuring surveillance and analysis of the functioning of financial markets or market segments of the Member States, the Euro area and the European Union, including establishing the existence of possible market failures and mispricing.

2.

Analysing and assessing the viability, performance and sustainability of financial institutions and markets in Member States, including those with an economic adjustment programme. This includes the analysis of own funds and specific prudential requirements for financial institutions, (legacy) asset quality review and business plan assessment.

3.

Performing analysis to support the formulation and assessment of policies related to the deepening of the Economic and Monetary Union (EMU) and to the regulation of financial markets, financial institutions, and financial infrastructure.

4.

Developing legislation for financial institutions and services related to the completion of the Banking Union and the Capital Markets Union. This includes performing duties of regulatory scrutiny during the legislative process.

5.

Developing and applying methods and tools for assessing and monitoring financial risk relating to asset and liability management, including scenario analysis and stress tests. This includes supporting the design, development, implementation, management, and maintenance of the EU tools for the sustainability of contingent liabilities with focus projection, stress testing, analysis, and reporting.

6.

Developing and applying methods, mathematical equations, tools, and procedures for understanding and/or processing and interpreting financial, monetary and general economic data in support of EU Policy. This includes data on financial instruments, which may involve the use of advanced quantitative techniques for assessment and valuation purposes of these instruments and to benchmark the financial instruments against the Market Economy Operator Principle.

7.

Developing and applying methods and tools for managing portfolios of financial assets in areas such as strategic and tactical asset allocation, implementing investment strategies, monitoring, and rebalancing.

8.

Planning and implementing of the EU funding strategy. Preparing, implementing and managing all borrowing operations (including EU-Bonds, EU-Bills, and NextGenerationEU Green Bonds) concluded on behalf of the EU in collaboration with investment banks and institutional investors.

9.

Performing credit analysis and financial statement analysis of both projects and undertakings. Valuation of assets and companies (and holdings in companies), including the valuation of non-performing or distressed assets.

10.

Designing, negotiating, and implementing financial instruments, budgetary guarantees or special purpose vehicles (such as debt and equity instruments, guarantee schemes or risk-sharing instruments) to support the implementation of EU policies including in the external field and in support of the green and digital transition. Monitoring and assessing the implementation of such actions (including by partner institutions) and formulating appropriate policy intervention as needed.

11.

Liaising with international economic and financial institutions, public authorities and other stakeholders in the implementation of economic surveillance of financial markets, including surveillance under economic adjustment programmes and implementation of financial instruments.

12.

Ensuring State aid consistency in financial instruments linked to the EU budget.

13.

Ensuring the smooth completion and delivery of econometric modelling. Ensuring that models are built to the highest standards using consistent techniques that can be applied to other projects and set up in the right manner to answer relevant political questions.

14.

Drafting analytical, policy and legal documents for internal and external use, including decisions to be adopted by the European institutions.

15.

Coordinating teams responsible for the execution of daily treasury activities (including payments, liquidity management, back-office activities, reporting, etc.). Designing and implementing treasury management systems including liquidity management, bank architecture, payment formatting and/or treasury innovative solutions. Designing and implementing treasury risk management policies and new cash flows circuits.

16.

Planning, organising, supervising and performing the work concerning the annual accounting closure exercise and financial statement preparation. Monitoring and supervising the accounting work, acting as a point of contact providing support and expert guidance in accounting matters.

17.

Providing advice on internal control effectiveness and efficiency and the identification of best practices, providing recommendations, and communicating guidelines and instructions to address risks, its measurements and the hypothesis of the key risk figures.

18.

Analysing and evaluating the financial actions and policies of International Financial Institutions (such as, inter alia, the European Investment Bank, the European Investment Fund and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development) with a view to their impact on EU policies. Developing positions for EU representatives in their decision-making bodies.

1.

Analysing firms’ incentives and competitive interactions, for example in relation to the exercise of market power and its impact, in different sectors (including energy, transport, banking, digital markets, manufacturing, health, etc.).

2.

Applying economic analysis to competition cases (merger, antitrust and state aid).

3.

Performing economic analysis in the context of industrial policy and the EU Single Market. This includes economic analysis of innovation, technology adoption and diffusion, industrial ecosystems and sectors.

4.

Performing economic analysis of supply chains, strategic dependencies, and of the integration of flows of goods and services within the EU Single Market.

5.

Performing empirical and econometric analysis and/or modelling simulations, applied to industrial economics, Single Market issues, competition policy and industrial policy.

6.

Applying economic analysis to legislative and policy work across different sectors and assessing the interaction between competition, regulation, and public interventions.

7.

Performing economic evaluation of public policies and enforcement activities.

8.

Conducting market investigations.

9.

Preparing decisions to be adopted by the EU institutions, contributing to impact assessments for legislative work, preparing reports, ad hoc notes and bulletins.