91997E3314

WRITTEN QUESTION E-3314/97 by Herbert Bösch (PSE) to the Commission (20 October 1997)

Subject: Grading of officials

Over the last few years both arms of the budgetary authority have endeavoured to stop spiralling staff costs.

It is all the more surprising therefore to hear reports that the Council has recently given officials a higher grade after passing a recruitment competition: thus a person recruited following an A7 competition might well be given the grade A5 in the Council. If he subsequently switched to the Commission, he would be recruited as an A5, while a colleague who had begun in the Commission as an A7 would remain at this grade. Will the Commission say:

1. Is it aware of such recruitment practices?

2. Does it consider that these practices are compatible with a coherent staff policy in the EU institutions?

3. What steps does it intend to take to remedy the situation?

Answer given by Mr Liikanen on behalf of the Commission (4 December 1997)

In his question, the Honourable Member states that a successful candidate in an A7/6 competition was recruited to an A5 post in the Council. This practice is totally unknown in the Commission, which could never accept such a recruitment procedure. A successful candidate in a competition organised for a specific career bracket is always appointed to that career bracket and never to another.

What can happen, as might have been the case with regard to the recent A5/4 enlargement competition, is that a successful candidate in a A7/6 competition recruited by one institution could be eligible for a A5/4 competition organised by the same institution or another institution. An A7/6 official may have the requisite practical experience for that type of competition and his application could be lawfully accepted. If he is successful in that competition, the candidate can lawfully request to be recruited to an A5/4 post in his institution or in another institution.

If a Commission department has a vacant post and wishes to recruit the successful candidate to that post, the administration cannot refuse. Where the successful candidate in question is on a reserve list from a competition held by another institution, the 'appointment and transfer' procedure is applied. Although this procedure is well known to the administration, the Commission keeps a very close eye on it.