Newsletter-2026-10-13

Large Scale Review: Will the Commission finally recognise burnout as a structural capacity risk and do something about it? 

Large-Scale review, Newsletter-2026-10-13, well-being, Working conditions

Generation 2004 asks that the Commission invests in the human capacity of its staff, giving particular attention to mental health awareness and burnout prevention in the Large-Scale Revie process.

Instead of introducing a continuous AI supported ‘brain gym’ into the fabric of our daily work as indicated in the 2nd Recommendation on Innovation and AI of the Large-Scale Review, the Commission should invest in the mental resilience of staff. The Commission must first ensure that staff can be functionally proficient and recover quickly when exposed to unexpected crises before expecting it to be agile.  Continue reading Large Scale Review: Will the Commission finally recognise burnout as a structural capacity risk and do something about it?  →

Commission’s Mediation Service: is it a success story?

Equality, Newsletter-2026-10-13, Services, well-being, Working conditions, workplace bullying and harassment

Context  

The Mediation Service was initially created in 1977. It was the basis for mediation between the administration and individual staff members for more than 20 years.  

In 2002, the role of the Mediation Service was reinforced by Commission Decision C(2002) 601 of 25 February 2002. The Mediation Service was empowered to issue general recommendations. In doing so, the Mediation Service was assigned a twofold task: on the one hand, to facilitate the settlement, in individual cases, of any difficulty that may arise in the context of conflicts at work or concerning the rights and obligations of staff and, on the other hand, to identify systemic or structural factors that if left unaddressed could fuel similar problems or difficulties to arise in the future and recommend possible courses of action.  Continue reading Commission’s Mediation Service: is it a success story? →

Thinking about retirement? Plan well in advance

Newsletter-2026-10-13, Pensions

When approaching retirement, you might want to have less stress and enjoy the remaining workdays. This could involve taking longer breaks, being more flexible and work fewer hours to gradually transit into the new well-deserved lifestyle. You might also want to explore new passions and hobbies, visit old family members, or plan a move back to your home country. There are also colleagues who start a new career outside of the EU institutions, but in any case, it is important to plan your future. 

When you have completed at least 10 years of active service or reached pensionable age, you are entitled to a pension. The key factor is your date of entry into service under the staff regulations, but there can be specific situations affecting retirement rights, for example, changes in status during a career, transfers between EU bodies, previous service that is recognised and invalidity retirement.   Continue reading Thinking about retirement? Plan well in advance →

Whistleblowing at the Commission: stronger rules, but will staff really be protected?

diversity & inclusion, Equality, Newsletter-2026-10-13, Working conditions

On 25 June 2026, Generation 2004 took part in the first social-dialogue meeting on the Commission’s draft Decision revising its existing Whistleblowing Guidelines. 

The revision is intended to update the current framework and ensure consistency with Directive (EU) 2019/1937 on the protection of persons who report breaches of Union law, while taking account of developments since the last review in 2019. The Commission is also proposing to replace the existing Guidelines with a Commission Decision, giving the framework a stronger legal status. 

We welcome the initiative. But for Generation 2004, the key question is not simply whether the Commission has updated its rules. 

The real question is whether a colleague who reports wrongdoing will actually feel safe afterwards.  Continue reading Whistleblowing at the Commission: stronger rules, but will staff really be protected? →

EU Court strengthens staff rights in harassment and assistance procedures

Newsletter-2026-10-13, workplace bullying and harassment

Harassment cases are among the most difficult situations a staff member can face, and the way an administration handles a request for assistance can be just as important as the underlying allegations. Therefore, we would like to recall the judgment in Case T-145/24, CU v European External Action Service (EEAS), delivered by the General Court of the European Union. It provides important clarification on the procedural safeguards that must apply when staff seek assistance under Article 24 of the staff regulations in relation to allegations of psychological harassment.  Continue reading EU Court strengthens staff rights in harassment and assistance procedures →

Can a Head of Unit accused of harassment still write your appraisal?

Newsletter-2026-10-13, Promotions, Working conditions, workplace bullying and harassment

Generation 2004 has recently been receiving a number of cases raising a particularly troubling question: what happens when a Head of Unit or reporting officer who is allegedly harassing a member of staff is also responsible for writing that person’s appraisal report? This is not simply a question of whether the appraisal is fair. It raises a more fundamental issue: can the person responsible for assessing a staff member objectively evaluate someone who has accused them of harassment?  Continue reading Can a Head of Unit accused of harassment still write your appraisal? →

Generation 2004 and Staff representation recommendations for the European Commission’s Large-Scale Review

Large-Scale review, Newsletter-2026-10-13

In February and April 2026, Generation 2004 members of the Central Staff Committee (CSC) worked closely together to set out a broad series of recommendations for the European Commission’s Large-Scale Review (LSR). Across all workstreams, the recommendations support the objectives of the exercise of making the Commission more effective, attractive, agile and future proof.  

Continue reading Generation 2004 and Staff representation recommendations for the European Commission’s Large-Scale Review →

Digital Culture or Institutional Amnesia? – A Constructive look at the “Keep What Matters” initiative + EUSurvey

Cyber-security, Data Protection, Newsletter-2026-09-11, Newsletter-2026-10-13, Surveys

***Update – 9 October***
According to recent announcements on MyIntracomm, the European Commission will introduce an automatic deletion rule on 1 January 2027. Under this policy, more than 300 million working files older than 10 years stored on shared network drives (U, P, O, G) and in M365 collaborative spaces (Teams, SharePoint Online) face permanent automatic deletion on a rolling basis, unless staff manually intervene to identify and save them. 

***Your opinion matters, please fill out our survey on this topic.***

Continue reading Digital Culture or Institutional Amnesia? – A Constructive look at the “Keep What Matters” initiative + EUSurvey →