91998E1654

WRITTEN QUESTION P-1654/98

by Karl Habsburg-Lothringen (PPE) to the Commission

(18 May 1998)

Subject: Open competitions COM/A/8/98, COM/A/9/98, COM/A/10/98, COM/A/11/98 and COM/A/12/98

The Commission is currently holding open competitions, for the first time since 1993, for categories A8 (for graduates who completed their studies after 4 May 1995 and have no professional experience) and A7/A6 (for graduates with three years' professional experience).

This selection procedure thus targets graduates from the Member States with little or no professional experience.

Is the Commission aware that in setting these criteria it is excluding many potential applicants from Austria and other Member States? This particularly affects graduates who completed their studies immediately before 4 May 1995 but, who owing to the high rate of unemployment among young graduates in Europe, because of completing their military service, or for other reasons, have not been able to obtain the professional experience necessary to participate in the A7/6 selection procedure?

How does the Commission justify these criteria, and in particular its restriction of participation in the A8 competition by requiring studies to have been completed after a certain date?

Does the Commission propose to drop this requirement for current and future selection procedures and to postpone the deadline for applications for the COM/A/8/98 and COM/A/11/98 competitions accordingly?

Answer given by Mr Liikanen on behalf of the Commission

(4 June 1998)

The Commission would refer the Honourable Member to its answer to written question P-1350/98 by Mr Caccavale(1).

(1) See page 117.