Welcome to the Christmas Edition of this Newsletter!
Dear colleagues,
As 2025 comes to an end, we take a moment to look back at a year marked by both achievements and growing challenges for our institution and its staff. This Christmas edition gathers articles on some of the most pressing topics for our community: the uncertainty surrounding the European Schools, the ongoing reforms in the JSIS, as well as HR’s commitment to address discrimination in the repayment of exceptional education costs, following concerns raised by Generation 2004. We also examine recent unjust dismissals in EU delegations, which raise serious questions about the direction of “modernisation” in Delegations.
Newsletter-2025-12-19
Is The New Decision on Geographical balance going to work?
On 6 November 2025 the Commission adopted a decision aimed at enhancing the geographical diversity among its staff. Stephen QUEST, Director-General of DG HR, hailed it as an introduction of measures designed to attract individuals from underrepresented countries to join the Commission.
Continue reading Is The New Decision on Geographical balance going to work?
Oops… We Did It Again! Generation 2004 Keeps the Lead in Luxembourg
Generation 2004 sincerely thanks all colleagues in Luxembourg who placed their trust in us during the 2025 Local Staff Committee elections. Thanks to your support, we achieved an 8.4% increase in our share of the vote compared to the previous elections, reaching 28.57% of all valid ballots and securing six elected pairs, who will represent Luxembourg staff interests in all matters affecting them at both the Local Staff Committee and the Central Staff Committee levels.
Continue reading Oops… We Did It Again! Generation 2004 Keeps the Lead in Luxembourg
Unjust Dismissals in EU Delegations: A Dangerous Start to Delegations “Modernisation”
Staff representation organisations have jointly raised serious concerns regarding the modernisation of the EU Delegation network and, more specifically, the Commission’s proposal to dismiss up to 29 Local Agents (LAs) in the Western Balkans. In the Delegations concerned, this represents a very significant share of Local Agents in core functions such as Finance, Contracts and Audit, in several cases approaching half of the workforce in those sections.
Training Offer: EPSO AD7 Data experts (in LUX) – Study group for reasoning, MCQ and written tests
Generation 2004, in collaboration with Yasemos Europeos, is happy to offer you online training with Study group for reasoning, MCQ and written tests for the AD7 Data experts competition. There is a special discount rate for our members ONLY and registrations are made on “first come first served basis”.
High Expectations, Little Progress – What the October Meeting Revealed about the Future of Executive Agencies
On 6 October 2025 DG HR met colleagues from executive agencies. The meeting was intended as an opportunity for the administration to listen to employees’ concerns and clarify the future of executive agencies. However, the overall tone of the discussion including its outcome, was marked by frustration and disappointment among participants, who felt that few concrete commitments were presented. Uncertainty within executive agencies is not a new phenomenon, and it should not come as a surprise that the administration has offered no concrete answers.
Conference: 2026 appraisal and promotion/reclassification exercises
We publish this early enough for you to make a start on listing your achievements, training and highlights throughout 2025 to avoid you having to hit the ground running in January. This conference explains the evaluation process and offers tips. Join us Thursday, 8 January 2026, 12:30. We cover how to prepare your self-assessment and your one-on-one interview with your line manager (‘reporting officer’) [1] this is applicable both to the promotion (officials) and reclassification (Contract Agents, except 3b)[2]. Continue reading Conference: 2026 appraisal and promotion/reclassification exercises
HR listens and acts accordingly: Discriminations in Repayment of Exceptional Education Costs to be Removed
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.
Large-Scale Review – A Reality Check from Generation 2004
The Commission recently held its first information session for staff on the Large-Scale Review (LSR), the major reform exercise that is supposed to reshape how the institution works. According to the official narrative, this reform will modernise structures, simplify processes, update our working culture and redesign staffing models so that the Commission becomes more agile, more efficient and “fit for the future”.
That’s the official promise. What we witnessed on 21 November told a different story.
Continue reading Large-Scale Review – A Reality Check from Generation 2004
Evere: Temporary School, Permanent Uncertainty
When the European School in Evere opened in 2021, it was meant to be a quick fix for the chronic overcrowding in Brussels’ European Schools. Four years later, that “temporary” solution has become home to more than 1 500 pupils of the European School II. Parents, teachers and children have built a real community there.
The problem?
Legally and politically, the site was never meant to last.
Continue reading Evere: Temporary School, Permanent Uncertainty
