Generation 2004 has been at the forefront of advocating for Contract Agents, consistently pushing for fairer employment conditions, better career prospects, and greater recognition of their contributions. Over the years, we have actively engaged with the administration, raising awareness of the systemic challenges contract agents face: barriers to career advancement, limited access to internal competitions, unfair contractual terms, and restricted mobility within the institution. While some progress has been made, there is still much work to be done. Generation 2004 remains committed to advocating for real change, ensuring that contract agents receive the recognition and opportunities they deserve. We urge the administration to act decisively and finally put an end to the disparities that have long affected this staff category.
These are our postulates for contract agents, most of which backed by references (no later than 2024):
1: Talent retention and better recognition of one’s experience
A big one! By far one of the most frustrating aspects of the current system is the failure to recognize and retain talent. Many contract agents bring valuable skills and experience to the institution, yet their career prospects are severely limited. The European Court of Auditors backs us on this Special Report 24/2024: EU Civil service A flexible employment framework, insufficiently used to improve workforce management (and replies)
1.a)Access to internal competitions
The legislator significantly limits the access to internal completion for CA staff (in terms of appointment quotas but also the grades that can be accessed by specific function groups – cf. art 82(7) of CEOS). In the current design the internal completions fail to address CA problems in any impactful way. Generation 2004 demands that the administration in the first place at least ensure regular organisation of internal completions for CAs (no competitions were held for CAs in 2023). To have any tangible and noticeable influence on the career prospects of colleagues initially recruited as contract agents, unfortunately a combination with other measures would be required. To allow more laurates or allow FGI to participate, unfortunately a change to SR (CEOS) would be necessary.
1.b) Creation of programmes alternative to Junior Professional Programme (JPP)
The JPP restricts the participation of contract agents only to those heaving less than 3 years of experience. Apart from other measures (e.g. reinforced access to internal competitions, fair classification upon recruitment, etc). Performing, well experienced colleagues deserve a chance! Generation 2004 calls for the creation of alternative programmes to the JPP (with meaningful quotas), to give access to TA positions, and why not permanent ones, to all staff categories who are blocked in their careers, including CAs having more than 3 years of experience. Similarly, very strongly in the context of AST/ AST SC colleagues, Generation 2004 has been advocating for example for the creation of a senior professional programme.
Let everyone compete! Let one’s dedication, competence, experience and skills count, not their current allocation to a particular function group or staff category!
1.c) Access to temporary agent positions
See point 3 below.
2: Renegotiation of provisions governing employment conditions of contract agents (GIPs 2017)
General Implementing Provisions (GIPs) were revised in 2017. Since then, the number of contract agents affected by the regulations has been growing (accounting now for almost 25% of the staff). Generation 2004 believes that it is hight time the provisions were renegotiated again to address structural concerns related to contract agents’ working conditions, many of which you find in the postulates below.
Potential positive outcomes of this renegotiation could include more transparent and predictable career paths, fairer classification upon recruitment, and improved opportunities for internal mobility. Additionally, revisions to the GIPs could open the door to a more structured approach to contract agent advancement, particularly in terms of function group upgrades.
However, while a possible renegotiation has the potential to bring improvements, it is important to acknowledge that not all issues faced by contract agents would be resolved. Generation 2004 remains committed to pushing for additional measures that ensure fair and more sustainable employment conditions for contract agents.
3: Meaningful future career prospects
Under the current rules, contract agents employed under Article 3b of the Conditions of Employment of Other Servants (CEOS) are limited to a maximum of six years in their positions. This limit forces dedicated professionals to leave their jobs and seek employment elsewhere, regardless of their performance, skills, or the needs of the institution.
Generation 2004 has been actively advocating for a structural solution to this issue. Last year, we called on the administration to amend the 7-year rule by offering contract agents temporary agent positions on a structural basis. Unfortunately, our request was rejected due to a lack of budgetary coverage. However, we are not giving up. We will continue to push for meaningful changes that allow contract agents to have stable career paths and better access to internal competitions.
We are committed to further advocacy for amendments to the 7-year rule and transparent and controlled openness towards granting TA positions to CA staff, which would translate into better access to internal competitions. We believe these measures would have a potential to start getting contract agents out of the impasse they found themselves in.
Read more here and here and here.
4: Securing pensions
One of the biggest challenges contract agents face is securing their pension rights. Under the current system, an individual must contribute for at least ten years to qualify for an EU pension. However, because contract agent positions are often limited to six years, many colleagues are left in a precarious situation, struggling to find additional years of employment to reach pension eligibility.
Generation 2004 proposed that contract agents who receive unemployment allowances should continue to contribute—at least minimally—to the EU pension scheme. This would help preserve their pension rights, ensuring that the conditions acquired at the time of recruitment are not lost if regulatory changes occur in the future. Unfortunately, our request was initially rejected on legal grounds, but we will continue to fight for fairer pension policies.
Longer career prospects (see above) would go hand in hand with longer contribution to the EC pension fund and could be guaranteed by easier access of already recruited contract agents to other staff categories (e.g. via the selection for TA posts, more regular internal completions, and other alternative programmes).
5: Faster career advancement
Once recruited, contract agents employed under Article 3b cannot be promoted or advance in grade. They can only progress in step every two years, which does not reflect their growing experience and contributions to the institution. Even contract agents under Article 3a, who are eligible for reclassification, face an extremely slow career progression, with some remaining in the same grade for six to eight years before moving up.
Last year, additional reclassification quotas were secured thanks to the combined efforts of staff unions, However, we must ensure that this was not just a one-time gesture. Structural changes are needed to accelerate career progression for contract agents and ensure that their skills, experience, and dedication are properly recognised.
Read more here.
A revision of the GIPs could provide a sustainable solution by introducing a faster reclassification system, expanding entry grades, and creating pathways for contract agents to transition into higher function groups. It is time to put an end to the stagnation that so many contract agents’ experience.
6: Fair contracts
Some contract agents’ colleagues started to refuse job offers if they do not agree to the (financial) conditions offered compared to the nature of responsibilities. Generation 2004 have already seen numerous complaints from CAs (also during the revision of appeals or self-assessments) or by consulting job descriptions in Sysper that many CAs carry out tasks beyond what should be required from their function group. At the same time, it appears that a significant opportunity to secure better CA contracts at the Commission is regularly lost (appropriations lost in the managing of global envelope).
While granting CA contracts upon recruitment, the administration should ensure that assigned function groups correspond to the level of responsibilities which will be effectively required from the agent afterwards. The potential of unspent appropriations should be used to provide upgrade of function groups to colleagues: already upon recruitment where justifiable by the nature of the duties (or in the context of the screening exercise for the eligible contract – CA3A).
Read more here.
7: Improved options available to move function groups and contract types
7.a) Reinforced job mobility
Job mobility of contract agents is highly restricted by regulatory provisions. Change of contracts might have consequences for the classification on the grade. Applying for a position of a higher function group would often mean competing with external candidates. Contract agents CA3B cannot benefit from external mobility (secondments to other organisations) during their engagement which would help them finding a for a job outside the Commission once their engagement with the Commission comes to an end. Contract agent 3A are often stuck in their career due to highly restricted job market. We call for more transparency, better flexibility in the application of rules as well as internal arrangements for long-term and accessible intra and inter-institutional transfers for CAs, designed in a way not to negatively affect the rights CAs have already acquired.
Read more here.
As for job mobility we believe that certain restrictions could be lifted upon renegotiation of GIPs.
Ultimately, we advocate for facilitating an intra-institutional job mobility, where individually acquired rights and classification can be preserved and contract agents colleagues have the possibility to gather the minimum 10 year required to be eligible to a pension.
7.b) Advancement in function group
Changing a function group normally means having to pass CAST and a new recruitment. Nonetheless there is possibility to advance in a function group if you are a CA2A. Article 13 of CEOS on the use of contract agents allows contract agents engaged under article 3a of the CEOS, on exceptional basis and upon fulfilment of certain conditions, to advance to a higher function group. On one hand such a possibility facilitates a better match between function group and tasks performed on the other hand to certain extent reduces the differences between colleagues who are engaged as contract agents (as opposed to temporary agents or officials) in one of the services which by default is destined to rely heavily on by far the least recognised and appreciated staff category.
The statistics, especially in Offices are shocking where the overwhelming majority of the CA population are engaged on the lowest function groups I and II. The screening exercises launched are irregular and extremely limited in quotas. Check for yourself, see administrative notices 34-2024 and N° 35-2024
It is not uncommon for FGI and II in Offices to supervise external personnel. Is this what is formally required from agents of these function groups who otherwise themselves should work under supervision of an official or temporary agent (in a sector of 60 people and a unit oscillating around 100 colleagues)?
We advocate for more openness in upgrading deserving colleagues and, subject to the renegotiation of GIPs, opening the exercise also to CA3B colleagues.
8: Unemployment allowance contribution
While requesting the administration for the reduction in employment allowance contribution, especially for contract on permanent contracts (CA3A with hardly any risk of unemployment), Generation2004 learned that over the years the unemployment fund demonstrated a strong operational performance. The Commission will consider lowering the unemployment insurance paid by non-permanent staff. Thanks to our intervention related discussions with the administration were launched last year.
Read more here and here
As the result of the discussions the administration has recently announced the reduction in the unemployment insurance for non-permanent staff.
9: Better access to development and training possibilities
We received testimonies from colleagues that given their time limited contracts, hierarchy might not support their development via training, while in service.
Together with obligatory work-time training on the steps colleagues must take at the end of their service not to miss out on what they’re entitled to (e.g. where to look for employment to complement the missing years for the pension; eligibility to unemployment allowance, consequences for changing to another CA contract e.g. CA3a etc). While there used to be some modules available separately in the past, there is a need for a more comprehensive package.
10: Fairer treatment and more flexibility in the application of rules
The examples could be many. We were particularly drawn to the one on unpaid leave. The rule governing it are by far more restrictive for contract agents compared to officials (in terms or duration but also required justification). Despite these differences Generation2004 additionally heard of cases of CCP requests for CA being refused. This calls for more flexibility on the application of rules towards the most deprived staff category (no mobility, no career prospects, and on the top of that restriction to grant a break via CCP which might be the only possibility to remain satisfaction in the job).
Read more here.
We are committed to continue identifying and pointing out similar differences in treatment; gaps needing addressing for the creation of a more inclusive working environment for all!
CONCLUSIONS
If you ask us, the contract agent category should never have been created. We firmly believe it should be replaced by permanent officials, ensuring stability, fairness, and true career prospects for all. Colleagues were given false hopes, only to face a lack of career development and unprecedented inequities compared to other staff categories.
At every stage, contract agents encounter obstacles; barriers that not only demotivate individuals but also create unnecessary divisions within the institution. The continuous cycle of recruitment, contract extensions, and terminations wastes valuable resources, leading to a loss of talent and a drain on institutional efficiency.
We trust in our administration’s commitment to fairness and efficiency. It is time to break this cycle and fulfil the promises made to staff. Let’s put an end to this structural injustice and truly embrace the principle of ‘People First’.
| Contract agent | appraisal | Promotion (‘reclassification’) | CA screening | Junior professionals programme (JPP) | ‘Anticumulation 7 years rule‘ applies ? | Internal competitions |
| 3A | Y | Y | Y | ostensibly yes | N | FGII-IV only |
| 3B | Y | N | N | ostensibly yes | Y | FGII-IV only |
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Other references:
‘Contract agents collective’ petition: to sign or not to sign? | Generation 2004
