When we informed you about the possibility to request financial support for your children education costs (primary and secondary levels), we noticed a weird restriction in eligibility conditions: this financial support was not open to children of colleagues in EU Delegations or in Agencies. However, it was available to colleagues in all institutions and to a large and varied pool of current and former staff. 

We asked informally HR for what seemed to be an unjustified discrimination, particularly considering that many colleagues in agencies are contractual agents in the lower salary scales.

It turned out that the exclusion came from the “Collège des Chefs d’Administration” decision CAD 2631/07 adopted in 2007. It is unclear why the exclusion was enacted at all, but the fact is that its wording had been since then copied every year with no change. 

Without a solid justification against this discrimination, Generation 2004 asked formally DG HR to reconsider the approach for future exercises. 

Credit where credit is due: the HR Director-General, Mr Quest, reacted quickly explaining that Decision CA-D 2631/07 is an interinstitutional decision and therefore modifications cannot be decided by the Commission alone, but the Commission will invite the “College des Chefs d’Administration” to consider a revision of Decision CA-D 2631/07 on the reimbursement of exceptional education costs. 

This is objectively an important step in the right direction. We are looking forward to a new interinstitutional decision that does not exclude any colleague.