We…

…are a dynamic staff association campaigning against injustice and inequality in the EU institutions.

…give a voice to the interests of staff recruited to the EU Institutions after 2004 and 2014 concerning their diminished career prospects and employment conditions.

…aim for a unified EU Public Service that is based on fair, just and motivating employment conditions for all its employees.

The so-called “2004 Reform” and the subsequent “2014 Reform” of staff regulations (the legal act that sets all your rights and obligations as an EU employee):

  • marked the most substantial changes ever to the employment conditions of EU staff.
  • was heavily biased towards the ‘acquired rights‘ of the then existing staff.
  • had meant all the downsides were borne by new recruits.

As a consequence:

  • the new recruitment policy of the institutions is marked by artificial ‘juniorisation’ of staff (where highly qualified and experienced staff occupy ‘entry-level’ grades).
  • there has been the creation of vulnerable categories of staff, i.e. the Contract Agents: who, no matter how good they are, must leave after 6/7 years, taking all their knowledge and experience with them.
  • there has been fragmentation of the EU workforce, presided over by biased administration and inapt ‘professionalised’ trade unions (whose staff representatives almost never return to a ‘normal’ job, spending decades on secondment, literally ‘detached’)

Who are we – Generation 2004 ?

  • founded in 2012 as a grassroots reaction to the reforms and to the indifference of existing trade unions.
  • a dynamic staff association.
  • with 32.7% support over all sites and elections (figure from February 2022, to be updated with December 2022 Luxembourg election outcome) we are the biggest locally represented individual staff organisation.

What we stand for

  • We seek an open dialogue with all EU Institutions and their administrations.
  • We will continue our campaign until concrete actions to address inequalities and reduce the career gap in a sustainable way.

Our Mission

We aim in particular to:

  • Create a modern and unified EU public service that applies internally the same principles it imposes on EU member states, including the non-discriminatory recognition of both internal and external professional experience.
  • Improve HR management in particular by enforcing equal professional and career prospects for all staff, following the principle of ‘equal recognition for equal work’.
  • Contribute to the design of any future project of reform of the Staff Regulations, ensuring that the lessons learnt from the 2004- and 2014-reforms are taken into account.

Why is Generation 2004 different from any trade union or staff association (OSP)?

  • We fight for a Fair Career, Fair Pay & a Fair Pension.
  • We expose unfair treatment through fact-based analysis.
  • We welcome contribution from our members and profit from our collective intelligence.
  • We are independent and free of any bias in our actions on any internal or external influence.
  • We charge only nominal membership fees and do not make a profit out of our members.
  • We have internal organisational rules which guarantee democratic decision making.