Large Scale Review: Will the Commission finally recognise burnout as a structural capacity risk and do something about it? 

Large-Scale review, well-being, Working conditions

Generation 2004 asks that the Commission invests in the human capacity of its staff, giving particular attention to mental health awareness and burnout prevention in the Large-Scale Revie process.

Instead of introducing a continuous AI supported ‘brain gym’ into the fabric of our daily work as indicated in the 2nd Recommendation on Innovation and AI of the Large-Scale Review, the Commission should invest in the mental resilience of staff. The Commission must first ensure that staff can be functionally proficient and recover quickly when exposed to unexpected crises before expecting it to be agile.  Continue reading Large Scale Review: Will the Commission finally recognise burnout as a structural capacity risk and do something about it?  →

Commission’s Mediation Service: is it a success story?

Equality, Services, well-being, Working conditions, workplace bullying and harassment

Context  

The Mediation Service was initially created in 1977. It was the basis for mediation between the administration and individual staff members for more than 20 years.  

In 2002, the role of the Mediation Service was reinforced by Commission Decision C(2002) 601 of 25 February 2002. The Mediation Service was empowered to issue general recommendations. In doing so, the Mediation Service was assigned a twofold task: on the one hand, to facilitate the settlement, in individual cases, of any difficulty that may arise in the context of conflicts at work or concerning the rights and obligations of staff and, on the other hand, to identify systemic or structural factors that if left unaddressed could fuel similar problems or difficulties to arise in the future and recommend possible courses of action.  Continue reading Commission’s Mediation Service: is it a success story? →

Social dialogue on Junior Professional Programme (JPP)

Junior Professionals Programme

On 10 September trade unions of the Commission met in the framework of social dialogue procedure in order to give their opinion on changes proposed by the Administration to the JPP decision. 

Just to remind you that JPP is a scheme that offers temporary AD5-level posts to early-career professionals with maximum 3 years of relevant professional experience and aimed at high-potential junior professionals at the start of their EU policy or administrative career. The programme is designed to give participants hands-on professional experience in the EU institutions, often through policy, operational, analytical or coordination work.  Continue reading social dialogue on Junior Professional Programme (JPP) →

Interim contract: to take or not to take!

Interims

In 2023, we published an article on frequently asked questions (FAQs) and sources on interims (Interim staff at the Commission: FAQs). Today, we are revisiting the topic based on concrete situations where financial rights of some staff members had been adversely impacted by the fact they started to work under an interim contract in a transitory period preceding their recruitment as contract/temporary agent (CA/TA). This may also apply to a new official (permanent staff) which had an interim contract or several interim contracts preceding his or her recruitment as official of the Europeans institutions, agencies or bodies.  

An “interim” may have several “interim” contracts along because “Interims” cannot work for more than 120 days uninterrupted. This may happen in a long-term period. To get around this, the Commission uses a 1-month period of unemployment (‘break’). The so-called ‘one-month break’ after 5 months is not a formality, it’s a legal loophole the European Commission uses to perpetuate precarious employment while avoiding accountability.   Continue reading Interim contract: to take or not to take! →

European Baccalaureate rule change may create serious problems for families

European Schools

A recent change to the European Schools’ rules for the European Baccalaureate (BAC) could have major consequences for students and for European Commission staff whose children attend these schools. 

Until now, if a student missed a written BAC exam for a justified medical reason, they could take a substitute exam during the normal BAC session. This made it possible for students to complete the BAC in June, as usual, and move on to university in the next academic year  

For the 2027 BAC session, this will change. Under the new rules, a student who misses an exam because of illness will have to take the reserve exam in September instead of during the ordinary session (art. 8.2.3. of 2015-05-D-12-en-51). The new rules were approved by the Board of Governors in April 2026 ( 2026-04-D-7-en-2) and entered into force in September 2026.  Continue reading European Baccalaureate rule change may create serious problems for families →

Thinking about retirement? Plan well in advance

Pensions

When approaching retirement, you might want to have less stress and enjoy the remaining workdays. This could involve taking longer breaks, being more flexible and work fewer hours to gradually transit into the new well-deserved lifestyle. You might also want to explore new passions and hobbies, visit old family members, or plan a move back to your home country. There are also colleagues who start a new career outside of the EU institutions, but in any case, it is important to plan your future. 

When you have completed at least 10 years of active service or reached pensionable age, you are entitled to a pension. The key factor is your date of entry into service under the staff regulations, but there can be specific situations affecting retirement rights, for example, changes in status during a career, transfers between EU bodies, previous service that is recognised and invalidity retirement.   Continue reading Thinking about retirement? Plan well in advance →

Whistleblowing at the Commission: stronger rules, but will staff really be protected?

diversity & inclusion, Equality, Uncategorized, Working conditions

On 25 June 2026, Generation 2004 took part in the first social-dialogue meeting on the Commission’s draft Decision revising its existing Whistleblowing Guidelines. 

The revision is intended to update the current framework and ensure consistency with Directive (EU) 2019/1937 on the protection of persons who report breaches of Union law, while taking account of developments since the last review in 2019. The Commission is also proposing to replace the existing Guidelines with a Commission Decision, giving the framework a stronger legal status. 

We welcome the initiative. But for Generation 2004, the key question is not simply whether the Commission has updated its rules. 

The real question is whether a colleague who reports wrongdoing will actually feel safe afterwards.  Continue reading Whistleblowing at the Commission: stronger rules, but will staff really be protected? →

Internal competition: Court examined technical difficulties and the duty of care

Internal Competitions

On 2 September 2026 the General Court (Case T-416/24, ES v Commission) has dismissed an action brought by a candidate who challenged her exclusion from the next stage of Commission internal competition COM/AD/03/22 (AD 5). The case concerned, in particular, technical difficulties allegedly encountered before and during a remote written examination. 

Continue reading Internal competition: Court examined technical difficulties and the duty of care →

EU Court strengthens staff rights in invalidity procedures

Uncategorized

At Generation 2004, we are seeing an increasing number of colleagues facing invalidity procedures, including colleagues at a relatively young age. Against this background, the recent judgment from 10 June 2026 (Case T-204/25, IQ v European Defence Agency) of the General Court of the European Union is particularly important. It clarifies when an administration may refuse to open an invalidity procedure and, importantly, confirms that a request cannot simply be considered “abusive” because it is made after a long period of sick leave or close to the end of a contract. 

Continue reading EU Court strengthens staff rights in invalidity procedures →

EU Court strengthens staff rights in harassment and assistance procedures

workplace bullying and harassment

Harassment cases are among the most difficult situations a staff member can face, and the way an administration handles a request for assistance can be just as important as the underlying allegations. Therefore, we would like to recall the judgment in Case T-145/24, CU v European External Action Service (EEAS), delivered by the General Court of the European Union. It provides important clarification on the procedural safeguards that must apply when staff seek assistance under Article 24 of the staff regulations in relation to allegations of psychological harassment.  Continue reading EU Court strengthens staff rights in harassment and assistance procedures →