Congratulations to the 35 Commission colleagues who completed Certification in 2023! For those of you participating in the interviews for the 2023/24 edition you have 5 days to appeal non-inclusion on the list of those who will go on to the next interviews, get ready! For those who manage to get their names on that list, there is training available for the interviews. Generation 2004 is aware of the exceptionally poor exam results in 2024, we are awaiting the publication of the corresponding report to make comparisons with the previous 17 certification exercises.

In the meantime, let’s explore the comprehensive timeline of the certification program, its key stages, and how long it takes until you can potentially earn your place among the certifiés/those ’certified’ as apt[1].

The dates change slightly each year. Please use the  EuSA website dates when available, we take the provisional timeline of the 2023/24 exercise as a base. Please plan: it would be terrible to get though to the next stage and find that you are unable to attend due to prior commitments.

This phase is notably challenging, and the preparation required for this stage is substantial. It involves daily reading and a comprehensive understanding of various policies and operational aspects. Both the DGs and the Joint Certification Panel are known for their innovative approach and may pose questions related to items presented during the assessment. The most challenging aspect is the requirement to respond on the spot without any possibility to have a few minutes of preparation or note anything down. Stress can be a significant factor that may hinder your performance. In the 2022/23 exercise 104 colleagues got through to this stage to compete for the 50 training places available (4 of these candidates were included via successful appeals).

The 50 Commission candidates selected have the opportunity to participate in training that is organised by the European School of Administration (EUSA) where they study with colleagues from the other institutions. Note that there is often only one class for French and that this can mean that the training takes place entirely in Brussels or, as happened in 2023, split between the two: part 1 in Brussels and part 2 in Luxembourg. Attendance at training is obligatory (medical certificates are requested from day 1 of absence) and training can be postponed for ‘duly justified’ reasons only. Please use the dates from the previous exercise as a guide for planning.

The extensive formal training lasts 35 days in total and encompasses five modules.  It starts at the end of May or beginning of June and contiues over the summer ‘break’ with assignments to complete (‘individual study’). When the programme resumes in September it is to follow-up on those assignments i.e. to give the presentation submitted at the end of summer.

Following the formal training, candidates face 3 challenging exams for which thorough preparation is essential. Detailed information about each exam, including the topics covered and a general timeline, can be found in the table below.

Recommendations we gathered from participants of the training

• Low overall success rate on average 50% should be examined given the length of the programme and considerable financial investment.
• Link between training and exams should be made clearer.
• The examination board’s standards should be made clearer to both the trainers and the candidates.
• Focus on practicing required skills during the training.
• Training should be tailor-made for the EU-institution environment.
• Fair approach – e.g. topics of presentations can be helpful for those that may be familiar with them. Candidates should be given a possibility to choose from 5 topics. E3 presentation should focus on getting the message across in an understandable and convincing way, while the extensive research should be removed from the evaluation grid.
• Average marks for all exams – candidates’ overall performance should be evaluated to avoid penalising those with a discernible variation in strengths. For example, succeeding the exams by fulfilling at least two criteria for each exam (2+2+2), whereas those fulfilling seven criteria in total – three criteria in two exams and only one in the third exam, will fail (3+3+1).
• Right to appeal the decision of the Board
• The certification procedure should be simplified and shortened.
• ASTs should be also offered alternative ways to pass to the AD category – e.g. internal competitions

As always, if you have any questions or comments, feel free to contact us, we’ve been through many of these processes.

If you appreciate our work, please consider becoming a member of Generation 2004.

[1] Why do you use the French term when there’s an English one available? We do try not to do this, but certified/certifiable in English is open to misinterpretation…