30.1.2008

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

CA 25/1

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NOTICE OF OPEN COMPETITIONS

(2008/C 25 A/01)

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

ADMINISTRATORS  (1) (AD5)

IN THE FIELD OF TRANSLATION

EPSO/AD/118/08 — CZECH (CS)

EPSO/AD/119/08 — LITHUANIAN (LT)

EPSO/AD/120/08 — LATVIAN (LV)

EPSO/AD/121/08 — MALTESE (MT)

EPSO/AD/122/08 — SLOVAK (SK)

EPSO/AD/123/08 — SLOVENE (SL)

CONTENTS

I.	DUTIES AND ELIGIBILITY

A.

DUTIES

B.	ELIGIBILITY

II.	ADMISSION TESTS

TEST PROCEDURES

III.	OPEN COMPETITION

TEST PROCEDURES

IV.	HOW TO APPLY

V.	GENERAL INFORMATION

ANNEX:

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

I.   DUTIES AND ELIGIBILITY

Open competitions EPSO/AD/118-123/08 are being held to recruit administrators in the field of translation (AD5) having Czech, Latvian, Lithuanian, Maltese, Slovak or Slovene as their main language.

The purpose of these competitions is to draw up reserve lists from which to fill vacant posts in the institutions of the European Union.

These competitions include two options.

Option 1	Option 2
Candidates having: — first compulsory source language (language 2): English, French or German, and — second compulsory source language (language 3) (must be different from the first compulsory source language): English, French or German.	Candidates having: — first compulsory source language (language 2): English, French or German, and — second compulsory source language (language 3): Italian, Polish, Portuguese or Spanish.

Number of successful candidates per competition and option:

	Option 1	Option 2
EPSO/AD/118/08 — Czech (CS)	16	18
EPSO/AD/119/08 — Lithuanian (LT)	27	32
EPSO/AD/120/08 — Latvian (LV)	39	49
EPSO/AD/121/08 — Maltese (MT)	35	68
EPSO/AD/122/08 — Slovak (SK)	20	18
EPSO/AD/123/08 — Slovene (SL)	43	68

Please note that the tests for the above competitions may be held simultaneously. You may apply for only one of these six competitions and only one option. You must make your choice when you register online and you will not be able to change it after the deadline for registration.

A.   DUTIES

The institutions are seeking to recruit highly qualified university graduates with a degree in languages and/or in subjects such as law, economics, auditing and finance, natural sciences, political and social sciences, and technology who are capable of adapting throughout their career. Successful candidates will have to be able to translate texts into their main language from at least two languages. The texts are mainly political, legal, economic, financial, scientific or technical in nature, are frequently demanding and encompass all the spheres of activity of the European Union. This work requires candidates to be fully conversant with computers and office technology.

Your ‘main language’ is your mother tongue or a language of which you have an equivalent command.

The European Union institutions attach particular importance to the ability 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.

To ensure that all general information relating to the competition and all communication between candidates and EPSO is clearly understood on both sides, these notices of competition are being published solely in English, French or German. These three languages will also be used for invitations to the various tests and for correspondence between EPSO and candidates.

B.   ELIGIBILITY

(a)   General conditions

You must:

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

—	enjoy your full rights as a citizen,

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

—	meet the character requirements for the duties involved.

The competition notice does not set any age limit, but please note the information in Section V.7 concerning the retirement age.

(b)   Special conditions

1.   Qualifications

You must have a level of education which corresponds to completed university studies of at least three years attested by a diploma.

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/guide_en.htm) for each category. Note that these are examples only — stricter requirements may be set in the competition notice.

2.   Professional experience

No professional experience is required.

3.   Knowledge of languages

OPTION 1

You must satisfy the following conditions:

(a)	main language (language 1) a prefect command of your main language: Czech, Latvian, Lithuanian, Maltese, Slovak or Slovene;

(b)	first compulsory source language (language 2) a thorough knowledge of a second language: English, French or German (you may choose any of these);

(c)	second compulsory source language (language 3) a thorough knowledge of a third language: English, French or German (must be different from language 2).

OPTION 2

You must satisfy the following conditions:

(a)	main language (language 1) have a perfect command of your main language: Czech, Latvian, Lithuanian, Maltese, Slovak or Slovene;

(b)	first compulsory source language (language 2) have thorough knowledge of a second language: English, French or German (you may choose any of these);

(c)	second compulsory source language (language 3) have thorough knowledge of a third language: Italian, Polish, Portuguese or Spanish.

Optional test(s)

Knowledge of other official EU languages is an advantage and may be assessed if you are successful in the competition.

Depending on the needs of the institutions, optional tests may be organised once the reserve list has been drawn up, in particular when the recruitment interviews are held.

You must indicate your choice of language for the admission tests (language 2) and your choice of languages for the competition tests when you register online  (2) . You will not be able to change your choice after the deadline for online registration (4 March 2008).

You may send any questions to EPSO by e-mail (EPSO-AD-..-08@ec.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).

II.   ADMISSION TESTS

The appointing authority will admit you to the admission tests if your online registration shows that you satisfy the general and special conditions set out in Section I.B on the closing date for online registration (4 March 2008).

TEST PROCEDURES

EPSO will organise computer-based admission tests for all the candidates accepted. 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 the first compulsory source language (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 verbal and numerical reasoning ability and 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 highest aggregate marks (3) in the admission tests and a pass mark in each will be invited to submit a full application in view of a possible admission to the open competition (for numbers, see table below).

	Option 1	Option 2
EPSO/AD/118/08 — Czech (CS)	96	108
EPSO/AD/119/08 — Lithuanian (LT)	162	192
EPSO/AD/120/08 — Latvian (LV)	234	294
EPSO/AD/121/08 — Maltese (MT)	210	408
EPSO/AD/122/08 — Slovak (SK)	120	108
EPSO/AD/123/08 — Slovene (SL)	258	408

III.   OPEN COMPETITION

Following reception of the applications, the appointing authority will draw up a list of the candidates who satisfy the general conditions set out in Section I.B.(a) and send it to the chair of the selection board together with their application files.

After having gone through the list mentioned above, the selection board will admit you to the written tests if you are among those candidates (see table below) with the highest aggregate marks  (3) in admission tests, and provided you meet the special conditions set out in Section I.B.(b).

	Option 1	Option 2
EPSO/AD/118/08 — Czech (CS)	48	54
EPSO/AD/119/08 — Lithuanian (LT)	81	96
EPSO/AD/120/08 — Latvian (LV)	117	147
EPSO/AD/121/08 — Maltese (MT)	105	204
EPSO/AD/122/08 — Slovak (SK)	60	54
EPSO/AD/123/08 — Slovene (SL)	129	204

TEST PROCEDURES

1.   Written tests — marking

(a)	Translation into your main language, using a non-electronic dictionary, of a general text approximately 45 lines long relating to the activities of the European Union, in your first compulsory source language (language 2). This test will be marked out of 50 (pass mark: 25) Time allowed: 2 hours.

(b)	Translation into your main language, using a non-electronic dictionary, of a general text approximately 45 lines long relating to the activities of the European Union, in your second compulsory source language (language 3). This test will be marked out of 30 (pass mark: 15) Time allowed: 2 hours.

If you fail one of these written tests, the other will not be marked.

These written tests will be held simultaneously at one or more centres in the European Union. The date of the written tests scheduled by EPSO cannot be changed at your request. You will be notified of the 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 candidates with the highest aggregate marks (3) in the tests and a pass mark in each will be admitted to the oral test (see table below).

	Option 1	Option 2
EPSO/AD/118/08 — Czech (CS)	24	29
EPSO/AD/119/08 — Lithuanian (LT)	41	50
EPSO/AD/120/08 — Latvian (LV)	59	81
EPSO/AD/121/08 — Maltese (MT)	53	102
EPSO/AD/122/08 — Slovak (SK)	30	27
EPSO/AD/123/08 — Slovene (SL)	65	102

(c)

Interview with the selection board in your first compulsory source language (language 2) to enable it to assess: — your suitability to carry out the duties described in Section I, — 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.

The selection board reserves the right to assess your knowledge of other languages.

This test will be marked out of 40 (pass mark: 20).

The oral tests will normally be held in Brussels or Luxembourg.

3.   Reserve lists

The selection board will place on the reserve lists the names of the candidates with the highest aggregate marks (2) (see Section I, Number of successful candidates) in the written and oral tests and a pass mark in each.

The lists will be drawn up by competition, by option and 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 dates will be published in the Official Journal of the European Union and on the EPSO website (http://europa.eu/epso) (4).

IV.   HOW TO APPLY

Please also consult the Guide for Applicants (http://europa.eu/epso/on-line-applications/guide_en.htm), 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 4 March 2008, with a deadline of 12 noon, Brussels time, on that day.

1.   Creating an EPSO profile/Online registration

Before registering, you should carefully check whether you meet all the eligibility criteria.

If you decide 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 interrupted before you complete it, thereby obliging you to repeat the whole process. Once the deadline 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 form (see Section IV.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 a paper version of the form (preferably by fax)  (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 application 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 tests.

2.   Invitations

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 EPSO immediately by e-mail (EPSO-AD-..-08@ec.europa.eu).

Wherever possible, you will be asked 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 have informed EPSO of this no later than three weeks before the planned date of the admission tests.

3.   Full application

The candidates with the highest marks, as specified in Section II, 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 details of your citizenship, studies, and, where necessary, any professional experience. You must enclose with your application the following documents:

—	a copy of a document proving your citizenship (e.g. your passport, identity card or any other official document specifying your citizenship, which must have been obtained no later than the closing date for online registration);

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

On a separate sheet, you should draw up a numbered index of these 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.

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 Personnel Selection Office (EPSO)

CORT 80

Open competition EPSO/AD/../08 (please indicate the relevant competition number)

B-1049 Brussels

Scrutiny of applications

The selection board will examine the necessary number of files of the candidates with the highest aggregate marks in the admission tests and a pass mark in each to determine whether they satisfy the conditions laid down in Section I.B of this notice. The candidates with the highest aggregate marks who meet all the requirements (see Section III, second paragraph) will be invited to the written tests by the selection board.

You will be disqualified if:

—	you do not complete your online registration by the deadline (4 March 2008),

—	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 lists

The names of the successful candidates (see III.3) will be placed on the reserve lists.

5.	If, at any stage in the procedure, it is established 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 FORM, THE COMPETITION NUMBER, AND THE REFERENCE NUMBER YOU RECEIVED WHEN YOUR ONLINE REGISTRATION WAS ACCEPTED.

V.   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 once all the candidates have been notified whether or not they have been admitted to the competition.

The European Personnel Selection Office (EPSO) is responsible for all communication with you until the competition is completed. You are strictly forbidden to make any contact with the members of the selection board, either directly or indirectly. In the event of any infringement of this rule, it will be for the selection board to decide whether you should be disqualified from the competition.

3.   Approximate timetable

Depending on the total number of candidates, the competition will take approximately one year 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 under 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

If you are placed on the reserve list, you will be normally recruited, as a probationary official, to the function of translator only; you will be called upon to effectively exercise the functions for which you sat the competition for a minimum period, the length of which could vary from one institution to another before being assigned to other functions (either through re-assignment, internal transfer or inter-institutional transfer); you will be recruited 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 the post concerned, 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 29(1)(b) of the Staff Regulations refers to the possibility for officials to request a transfer to another institution or agency at any time during their career. 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 to which the official requests to be transferred.

7.   Retirement

Under the rules on the retirement age for staff laid down in the Staff Regulations, officials are retired:

—	automatically at the age of 65 years, or

—	at their own request, either at the age of 63 years, or where they are between 55 and 63 years of age and satisfy the requirements for immediate payment of a pension,

—	exceptionally, at their 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 in the field of translation will be recruited from the reserve lists to grade AD5.

9.   Remuneration

Basic monthly salary as at 1 January 2008:

grade AD5, first step: EUR 4 052,11

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 (Official Journal of the European Communities, L  8 of 12 January 2001). 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 the online registration 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 taken into consideration by the selection board.

(4)  A successful candidate may explicitly request that his/her name not be published. Any such request must reach EPSO no later than two weeks after the candidate is notified of the results.

(5)  EPSO — Info-recrutement — 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.

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30.1.2008

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

CA 25/15

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RESERVE LIST

OPEN COMPETITION EPSO/AST/39/07

ASSISTANTS (AST 3) IN THE FIELD OF PROOFREADING

(Irish language)

(2008/C 25 A/02)

 

No successful candidates

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30.1.2008

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

CA 25/16

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MEMBERS OF THE SELECTION BOARD

OPEN COMPETITION EPSO/AST/39/07

ASSISTANTS (AST 3) IN THE FIELD OF PROOFREADING

(Irish language)

(2008/C 25 A/03)

 

Chairman:	Valeria SCIARRINO
Alternate chairman:	Noírin UI MHAÓLAOI
Full members:	Liam EGAN
	Evelina MORKUTE

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30.1.2008

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

CA 25/17

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RESERVE LIST

OPEN COMPETITION EPSO/AST/40/07

ASSISTANTS (AST 3) IN THE FIELD OF PROOFREADING

(Maltese language)

(2008/C 25 A/04)

 

Alan DELIA

Stephen RIZZO

and three other candidates

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30.1.2008

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

CA 25/18

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MEMBERS OF THE SELECTION BOARD

OPEN COMPETITION EPSO/AST/40/07

ASSISTANTS (AST 3) IN THE FIELD OF PROOFREADING

(Maltese language)

(2008/C 25 A/05)

 

Chairman:	Valeria SCIARRINO
Alternate chairman:	Raymond PISANI
Full members:	Carmel AZZOPARDI
	Helle LITTLEJOHN

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30.1.2008

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

CA 25/19

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Corrigendum to the Vacancy Notice No 73/07 concerning a post of Secretary-General (M/F) in the Secretariat of the European Economic and Social Committee

( Official Journal of the European Union C 316 A of 28 December 2007 )

(2007/C 25 A/06)

Page A/3, paragraph 6 ‘Closing date for applications’:

for:

read:

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