Newsletter – 2024-03-15

Newsletter editorial – 15-03-2024

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We wish you all a (belated) international women’s day: we firmly believe equality is something to be done year round, not just 8th March. What have we done in the last year? and Is it a man’s world? We consider too how more flexible working benefits everyone. Linking with flexibility, there are 3 public holidays you can choose to work and get the day back. For Brussels-based colleagues we outline the pitfalls of reimbursements via mobility.net. From limited reimbursements to non-existent reimbursements: own-initiative training (OIT) has been effectively defunded: have a look. In other news, Generation 2004 responds to the confirmation that the European Commission’s use of Microsoft 365 infringes data protection law and we expand on the many outstanding concerns related to fingerprint building access. We ask for your help on behalf of a volunteer group  working in Ukraine, we speak up on behalf of colleagues having technical difficulties with EPSO and internal competitions and show what is being done with Member States taking decades to comply with pension transfers-in.  So, that’s it for this time.

Enjoy the reading and get in touch if you believe we can help!

The European Commission infringes data protection

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*UPDATE 24.01.2024: Instead of correcting the transfers, the Commission has appealed the EDPS decision at court. The European Commission’s use of Microsoft 365 infringes data protection law for EU institutions and bodies. This is the statement by the European Data Protection Supervisor (EDPS), the independent supervisory authority for the protection of personal data and privacy for EU institutions, as published in its press release EDPS/2024/05 of 11 March 2024.  Continue reading The European Commission infringes data protection →

High time for more flexible teleworking, also from abroad!

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The implementation of the Decision on Working Time and Hybrid Working (WTHW) was evaluated by DG HR at the end of 2023 and, while targeted actions are now expected, there will be no big revision, the promised flexibility is still one-sided. Generation 2004 was pleased to notice that the evaluation is overall very positive and that many managers also appreciated the enhanced flexibility of WTHW and made use themselves of the possibilities to better reconcile their private and professional lives. Continue reading High time for more flexible teleworking, also from abroad! →

Special categories of personal data (biometric: fingerprints) for building access

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Fingerprint enrolment (biometric data) of staff for any workplace access is not something that can be done ad hoc. Data-protection legislation (GDPR)[1] states that biometric data is a special category of personal data and subject to specific processing conditions. The European Data Protection Supervisor (EDPS) raised this very same issue with the European Parliament in 2023[2]. Continue reading Special categories of personal data (biometric: fingerprints) for building access →

Immobile remboursements via Mobility.net

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*Update 24.10.2024 We’re aware of OIB now accepting cross-border commuter passes reimbursement requests via myPMO, but Luxembourg-based colleagues are to use the same method as before.*

Original article: Brussels-based officials, temporary staff or Contract Agents, Generation 2004 has heard your dissatisfaction regarding the process of (partial) ticket reimbursement via Mobility.net loud and clear…

Picture this: You enrolled[1] in the Mobility.net system all those months ago and have had to wait until your third monthly ticket expires before being eligible to submit a request for the Commission to contribute to your travel costs. Continue reading Immobile remboursements via Mobility.net →

Ukraine: Easter action 2024

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*Update 18.03.2024 5 days of volunteering extended to 2024.* A group of volunteers is preparing an Easter transport with humanitarian help for Ukraine.

If you would like to support their action, please have a look at the Ukrainian handicrafts they offer for sale. To know how the group uses funds, please see the photos and videos from the last deliveries. Should you need more information, please contact the group directly. Continue reading Ukraine: Easter action 2024 →

Flexibility days 2024 now available to request

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*Update 09.03.2024: The 2025 days are also now known: 17 April Maundy Thursday, 18 April Good Friday and 30 May Day after Ascension Day.*

Original article: For those of you keen to plan the year ahead and organising things to look forward to, note that the 2024 flexibility days are now listed and available to request in sysper. These are the three public holidays every year where you can choose to work and have the days back as annual leave [1]. Perhaps this is not an option for you at the moment, but it’s good to know that this possibility exists. Continue reading Flexibility days 2024 now available to request →

More missing contributions for a pension transfer-in

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While it is possible to take your pensions contributions from national systems and put them into the pension scheme of the European Union institutions (PSEUI), this is often a long-drawn-out process and it can be rather opaque. We recently highlighted the general exclusion of Member State ‘gifted’ contributions (e.g. covering times of military service or caring duties) from transfers-in and of a failed court case to try to recover the contributions where their inclusion made no difference. Now we cover a further potential complication which is delays in Member States doing their part in this process. Continue reading More missing contributions for a pension transfer-in →

Are we testing competences or IT setup?

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*Update 19.02.2025: ‘By default, all [internal] competitions will be cross-category.’ (Stay tuned: A new approach for internal competitions) This is excellent news and should now put the Commission on an even footing with the Parliament and other EU institutions. We hope that this inclusion is genuine and that the competitions are not  otherwise skewed to reduce participation. This can run in parallel to the certification: use all your options!* Continue reading Are we testing competences or IT setup? →

Is it a man’s world?

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When I came to JRC Karlsruhe a some years ago, it became quickly clear to me that the Karlsruhe site had a majority of male colleagues, by far. Being a woman, I felt at times daunted how few women we indeed were.

In the meantime, things have changed at JRC Karlsruhe: we already have the second female site director and more and more women in head of unit (HoU) and DHoU positions[1].

Continue reading Is it a man’s world? →