*update 28.06.2024, the Recording and presentation are available (NB: in *.Zip format). Brussels, the heart of Europe, is a vibrant city but like many cities (big and small), it faces challenges related to urban violence. Recently, incidents of violence in Brussels have become a growing concern affecting the safety and well-being of our staff and our citizens
Newsletter – 2024-06-13
Newsletter editorial – 13-06-2024
Welcome to the seventh edition of the Generation 2004 newsletter for 2024! In this issue, you’ll find crucial updates about urgent info regarding Luxembourg ING bank accounts. We also provide you with guidance on how to appeal non-promotion/reclassification decisions. You will also learn to identify fake interviews. We invite you to join us for a conference on city violence protection. Furthermore, don’t miss the reply from DG TAXUD to our note on the alarming decline in Staff Well-Being and our article on personal data, private phone usage, and standby duty, especially in Delegations. ‘Enjoy’ a new episode of the Evere European School saga. Finally, we’d love your feedback on the Career Days organised by DG HR. That’s it for this edition. Reach out if we can assist you!
Streamlining the Family Allowance Process: A Welcome Change for EU Staff in Belgium
*Update 08.07.2024. We will not claim that PMO reacted to our note of May and implemented the new system within this one month. But we do believe that we gave a bit of a push. Lately, the European Union’s Paymaster’s Office (PMO) has been under scrutiny due to prolonged delays in processing school fee reimbursements and third-party allowances.
Continue reading Streamlining the Family Allowance Process: A Welcome Change for EU Staff in Belgium
How to identify a fake interview: the workshop you will never find in “Career Days”
Why have we decided to write this article? We all know mobility in the Commission is exemplary (look at the precise targeting of some internal competitions). We also know all job interviews in the Commission endeavour to follow the highest standards of transparency with the sole objective to find the best candidate for the job. Talent and Career Development! People First! Continue reading How to identify a fake interview: the workshop you will never find in “Career Days”
ING Lux client? Act now!
*Update 28.06.2024: many thanks to the colleagues who got in touch to say that bank account changes are happening quickly and to suggest accounts with the association cooperative financière des fonctionnaires (AMFIE) as an option.*
Original article: If you have a Luxembourg ING bank account please act quickly to ensure that you receive your August salary. We calculate that you must not only have a new account in place but also have it approved within the FiLIP application by Thursday 20.06.2024 to avoid problems. We’ve sent a note to PMO to ask what workarounds they have in place and whether they’re ready for this additional (and sudden) increase in workload. Continue reading ING Lux client? Act now!
Think twice before sharing your mobile with … the Commission
It is not the first time that we warn on the progressive intrusion into staff privacy by the administration. Generation 2004 and the rest of the staff representation is firmly against these practices. This time we want to warn you not of a forced intrusion, but one that you might be tolerating without being aware of the consequences. Continue reading Think twice before sharing your mobile with … the Commission
The practices must change – Standby duty & use of private phones for business purposes in Delegations
After we exposed that the European Commission was infringing data protection law, many colleagues, particularly in Delegations, contacted us to share their experiences. They were not only ‘encouraged’ to use their private mobile phones for work purposes, also their standby duty tasks were going too far. Continue reading The practices must change – Standby duty & use of private phones for business purposes in Delegations
TAXUD’s Alarming Decline in Staff Well-being: Our efforts have paid off!
In our article of 10 April 2024, Generation 2004 had raised concerns about well-being of staff in DG TAXUD and proposed many actions to enhance our colleagues’ working conditions. We are happy to announce that our efforts have contributed to draw the attention of Senior Management on the issue. Continue reading TAXUD’s Alarming Decline in Staff Well-being: Our efforts have paid off!
Another episode in the Evere European school saga
Not all colleagues have children enrolled in the Evere site of Brussels European School II, but for those who have, news are never enough. Evere was set in temporary facilities until a fully-fledged school would be constructed. While the temporary facilities are not perfect, they provide enough quality for children and education. Continue reading Another episode in the Evere European school saga
Conference: the 2024 reclassification and promotion appeals season opens Thursday 13 June, Generation 2004 is here to help
Every year, the promotion and reclassification procedures, for officials and Contract Agents (CAs) respectively, go through several stages to culminate in formal recognition (or not) for the job performed during the previous years. During the first stage, your DG’s hierarchy put together draft reclassification and promotion lists according to the DG quota distribution. Continue reading Conference: the 2024 reclassification and promotion appeals season opens Thursday 13 June, Generation 2004 is here to help
