Voting closed on 27 March 2023: here are the results

Thanks to everyone who voted!

Watch, listen or read a few short messages from our candidates

Katerina Havlickova AST, EEAS HQ

I joined the European Commission in 2005, just after 2004 and changed to DG RELEX in 2007. Since then, I have been working in the administration, in different sectors (accounting, budget and now missions) and positions (secretary to a team leader). As a staff member working in Brussels, I would like to see more effort go towards taking into account the ever-rising cost of life in all cities where the EEAS is represented. This issue is directly linked to the increased cost of housing, commuting and is creating an unequal and, in some cases, very difficult situation for colleagues with different contracts and family status. I believe it is time to change the EEAS into an attractive place to work which it truly deserves.

Berze Krisztian
Krisztian Berze AST, EEAS HQ

After two decades of working on the Diplomatic field at Member States level, I joined the EEAS in 2016, started as SNE, continued as Contract Agent and finally as EU official. I will focus my contribution on the challenges we all face – working conditions, pay, fairness and decisional transparency. Together with colleagues, we bring results in solving these problems at the root level. Vote for us!

 

 

 

 

 

Alexandros Pavlou CA, Delegation Sarajevo

I have worked for Administration since 2001 and the greatest satisfaction I gained in my career by far has been helping my fellow colleagues, whether it be listening to them, advising or standing by them at a time of need. Wanting to do much more to help my fellow colleagues and inspired by the words of the great Martin Luther King “Life’s persistent and most urgent question is, What are you doing for others?” I decided to volunteer and represent Generation 2004 in this year’s elections.

 

Joanna Kosicka CA, EEAS HQ

I joined Generation 2004 because I saw the colleagues’ efforts to “force” the EEAS to treat all different types of employees equally. As a Contract Agent I find this very important. Many of us would be at square one after contracts end. All the efforts and good work done before practically loses its value. In addition, with cost in Brussels it is getting very difficult to stay here on such contracts. These difficulties are my motivation and this is why I want to contribute to more equal opportunities and better living conditions.

Gidaly Zoltan
Zoltan Gidaly AD, EEAS HQ

I decided to join the Unions as I realised that I am not happy with some decisions made by my employer. We can only change things if we are actively involved in the dialog with the other side. Complaining to my family, friends or colleges will not change the situation. We need to be proactive.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Minna Hiltunen
Minna Hiltunen AST, Delegation Kuwait

I started my EU career as Blue Book trainee in 2011, followed by recruitment in the Commission after a successful AST competition in 2012. Outside the EU institutions I have worked for the Finnish Foreign Ministry, and as a Local Agent in the Embassy of the Netherlands in Tanzania. After working three years in the Delegation to Egypt, I am currently posted in Kuwait. Thus I have first-hand experience as both expat and local staff, from both big and small Delegations, and from two Member States diplomatic systems. G2004 has supported me individually and through their collective actions since the beginning of my EU career. Now I feel it is time to pay this forward so I am stepping up as candidate for the EEAS Staff Committee elections. All of this knowledge I’m willing to put into use in the service of all staff, if elected to the EEAS Staff Committee.

Siobhan Caughey
Siobhan Caughey AST, Delegation Taiwan

I started in the European Parliament in 1992, moving to the Commission in 2002. I have worked for more than 30 years as a secretary/assistant in the EU institutions, with postings to Delegations in Hong Kong, Indonesia and Taiwan. In July 2022, I was elected as one of two local staff representatives and, in 2022, I was elected to the newly-created Delegation Assistants Bureau. Such a broad experience in several institutions and several Delegations, has given me an insight into the challenges the EEAS is facing, both in HQ and in Delegations and I would like to help address these by being part of the staff representation for Generation 2004.

 

 

Claudio PETRILLO AST, EEAS HQ (BLMT)

I joined Generation 2004 because I saw the colleagues’ efforts to “force” the EEAS to offer equal opportunities to all employees of the EU institutions. Even though I only joined the EEAS last July, I have been working in the private sector for over 25 years and in NATO-Luxembourg for 8 years.

While at NATO, I deployed in several missions in Afghanistan where I saw many forms of discrimination and always wanted to fight against that. Therefore, I had been elected for two consecutive mandate, in the Staff Committee, with the main responsibility of defending my colleagues from any type of harassment, discrimination, impartiality.

I hold a Diploma of Mediator as well as Mental Coach.

As a Cancer survivor, I am also part of the Inter-Institutional Cancer Support Group, were supporting other colleagues is the most rewarding sensation, where my motto “What doesn’t kills me, make me stronger” and … “never give up” are of inspiration for the less fortunate colleagues.
I would really like to help address these issues by being part of the staff representation for Generation 2004. So, vote for me…you won’t regret it!

Tomasz Borczuch AST, EEAS HQ

I’m working in learning and development, I’ve been with the EEAS since its beginning. I’ve met so many talented colleagues during the last 10 years, but conditions have also deteriorated for all of us. Is our institution doing everything in terms of fairness and transparency? is our staff committee reflecting real staff representation? Vote for list 2!

 

 

Frequently asked questions (FAQs)

What are the elections for?

    • The staff committee of the European External Action Service (EEAS).
    • Not to be confused with the Outside the Union ‘local’ staff committee (CLP-HU) whose last elections were  concluded in December 2021.

Structure of the EEAS staff committee 

This committee consists of 15 full and 15 backup (‘alternate’) members nominated by candidates from HQ (Brussels) and Delegations.  Local agents (LAs), all statutory staff serving in Delegations under the EEAS for more than 3 years would generally be eligible to be a candidate. Here are the candidates and the EEAS election rules.

 Why vote for us?  

Generation 2004 is the only staff association that consistently fights against the inequality in career progress and working and living conditions of staff, no matter when they join the service, the type of contract they have or where they work. We were founded in 2012 as a grassroots reaction to the 2004 staff reform, which severely cut the benefits, career prospects and working conditions of newly recruited EU staff.  Generation 2004 wishes to bring our service-orientation approach to the EEAS and provide wide ranges of services such as consultations, training, online events, individual assistance to colleagues.   

We: 

  • Represent EEAS staff in headquarters and delegations. 
  • Promote fair play on HR matters in the EU institutions. 
  • Ready to cooperate with all trade unions in the interest of all EEAS staff. 
  • Are the biggest staff organization in the Commission. 
  • Aim to become the most represented voice in the EEAS 
  • Are willing to discuss issues that are politically sensitive matters in the EEAS and demand greater transparency and equality of treatment.  

 The 2004 and 2014 reforms of the staff regulations: 

  • Marked the most substantial changes ever to the employment conditions of EU staff. 
  • The conditions for staff recruited before 2004 improved at the expense of staff hired thereafter who were obliged to accept considerably worse working conditions. 
  • Consequently: 
    • The current recruitment policy of the institutions is marked by the hiring of highly qualified professionals to perform artificially junior roles (“juniorisation”). 
    • There is now also a lack of an equal career playing field in the institutions. 
    • Members of Staff in vulnerable categories, particularly the Local Agents (LAs), Contract Agents (CAs), the secretaries and clerks (AST/SCs), and the assistants (ASTs) are consistently exploited and assigned tasks above their responsibility level. 
    • The inequalities within the EEAS workforce created by the two past reforms are still very present.

Am I eligible to vote?

When can I vote?

  • Tuesday 7 March (11.00am) to Friday 17 March (11.00) (inclusive, Brussels time).

When will we know the results?

What can go wrong?

  • There’s a minimum (‘quorum’): 2/3 of the electorate must vote for the election to be valid (2544 colleagues).  If this threshold is not reached then the election is repeated (as happened in Brussels February 2022). If necessary, that second election can be extended (see Article 18).

EEAS_poster

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Our campaign for election  is based on facts, not on fiction. Our campaign sets out five S.M.A.R.T. lines of action:

SMART

In the coming weeks, our campaign will cover these lines of action in more detail: check out our election campaign manifesto. Meanwhile please feel free to dive into our website and leave us a comment, or get in touch with us.

Our candidates represent a wide diversity in terms of gender, geographic balance, directorates-general and staff categories and that diversity starts from the beginning of the list and not halfway into it.

If you believe that all staff should be given a voice, then:

Vote S.M.A.R.T.

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