*Update 09.10.2023 please participate in the Commission survey on the environmental impact of teleworking: deadline 11.10.2023. These emmissions must also be counted in greening the Commission!* Original article: Here are the issues we raised at the OSPs meeting with David Mueller, the Head of Commissioner Hahn’s (budget and administration) Cabinet (15.03.2023). We are all aware that we are reasonably consistently in a series of difficult situations which require additional financial resources and which put the EU Budget under pressure. But we did get an earworm during that meeting: Continue reading Meeting the Head of Cabinet: it’s all about the money
z Newsletter article
EPSO competition cancelled – is this really the least-bad option?
*Update 21.02.2024, Politico picked up this story.* Original article: Here’s the story so far on the revamped, updated and not-quite-ready-for-general-release rollercoaster ride of recruitment to the European institutions that was AST/154/22. From the launch of this competition (22.09.2022) to the opening of an ombudsman inquiry (OI/1/2023/VS, 15.03.2023[1]) and on to the unexpected (and abrupt) decision of the EPSO director to cancel the whole thing (31.03.2023), Generation 2004 and all OSPs have been inundated with requests for help on the many and various issues encountered by candidates (covering everything from technical aspects to poor instructions to odd and alarming experiences), and it’s not finished yet! Continue reading EPSO competition cancelled – is this really the least-bad option?
Evaluations of working time and hybrid working so far
*Update 13.12.2023 Here is the official evaluation of working time and hybrid working and our experience of the corresponding ‘town-hall’ meeting. Do you agree with the conclusions?* Original article: It’s been a year since the implementation of the working time and hybrid working (WTHW) decision (entered into force 01.04.2022). The only official feedback sought during this time are the Pulse surveys of June 2022 and February 2023 (comparative) which show increasing satisfaction on every single point measured, from flexible working overall to physical working arrangements in the office to impact on work-life balance and impact on trust within the organisation. Are you surprised? We were surprised. Continue reading Evaluations of working time and hybrid working so far
Lunchtime conference: the Picard case
*Update 23.06.2023: HR MyIntracomm article.* Do you want to know more about the recent Picard judgement C-366/21 P concerning Contract Agent (CA) pension rights? This case has repercussions on pension accrual and also on retirement age. We presented the different aspects of the judgement in this during our lunch-time conference. You can find the recorded video and the PowerPoint presentation here.
Signature authentication and certified true copies: yes and no
*Update 04.03.2024 Luxembourg charges removed, see below.*
Original article: In spite of our increasingly digital existence we do sometimes still have to resort to paper-based transactions. Unfortunately, while the Brussels Welcome Office of the European Commission can offer a signature-authentication or certified-true-copy service (almost like a notary!) free of charge, other sites, such as Luxembourg, offer no corresponding service, free or otherwise. The Brussels welcome office even checks rental contracts, great, eh? (For those able to use the service, of course). Continue reading Signature authentication and certified true copies: yes and no
Certification 2022/23: the road ahead
The 2022/23 Certification exercise is still moving forward: from 294 eligible candidates to 104 individuals chosen for Joint Certification Panel interviews, to the April publication of the final list of 50 officials authorised to take part in the Certification training programme (the list will be published in Administrative Notices, in 2022 it was done on 12 April) and subsequent exams[1]. Well done to the 32 colleagues who appealed their non-inclusion post-DG interview, 4 of whom were successful: it is possible! Unfortunately, Certification continues to be a labour-intensive and time-consuming process which is not particularly user-friendly (see diagram for evidence of this). Continue reading Certification 2022/23: the road ahead
Ongoing difficulties for Local agents in Delegation Türkiye
*Update 29.09.2022 Local Agents in Türkiye are now being paid in euro, thank you all for your support!* Original article: Generation 2004 finds the situation for Local agents in Delegation Türkiye frustrating. We urge the administration to do the right thing: uphold the rule of law and principle of equal treatment. Abide by the outcome of the court case and comply with the instructions of the court. The pretext/excuse of a “lack of administrative” budget does not hold water. Losing a court case is not a daily operational business and therefore no institution should expect to be able to meet the financial liabilities under that business-as-usual budget item. Continue reading Ongoing difficulties for Local agents in Delegation Türkiye
Council request to further reduce spending on staff II
*Updated 07.08.2023 in response to feedback, thanks! See footnotes*
Original article: Generation 2004 is closely following this latest Council request to further reducing spending on staff (Budget 2024: Council agrees on its guidelines for the establishment of next year’s EU budget, 14.03.2023, see quote below). The Commission appears to have provisionally lost 75 posts, the only institution to have lost any posts (Draft General Budget of the European Union for the financial year 2023, Working Document Part II, 2022, p. 67) Continue reading Council request to further reduce spending on staff II
Newsletter editorial – 30-03-2023
Welcome to the fourth Generation 2004 Newsletter of 2023. The revision of the first draft of the new anti-harassment package is finished: we eagerly await the updated draft to see how much of our collective input has been included. We highlight the recent administrative notice regarding pension calculations for those seconded at their own request: make sure you know how this affects you. Generation 2004 comments on the (repeated) Council request to reduce spending on staff. Have a look at the flexibility days now available in sysper: you can choose work these 3 days in exchange for annual leave. The final list of the 50 colleagues selected to follow the AST certification training will be published soon: we list your options. Some 800 more colleagues will move to dynamic, collaborative space (DCS) at the new POST-Mercier building but at least it’s not hot-desking, right? We look at the minimum wage changes for Luxembourg, why is the expatriation allowance used to exclude colleagues from the uplift? Generation 2004 encourages to you exercise your rights inside and outside the Commission: those in Luxembourg, please register to vote in the municipal elections. On the topic of Luxembourg, we lament the lack of action on the 12 actions announced 1 year ago to address the difficulties in recruiting and retaining staff.
So, that’s it for this this edition, thanks to all of you for your support, ideas and feedback: please keep it coming!
Take care and enjoy reading!
Seconded at your own request? Be aware of changes to your pension contribution
If you are seconded (French: ‘détachés’/ Franglais: ‘detached’) at your own request (i.e. not in the interest of the service) to another institution or to an agency, then this article is for you and concerns your pension rights. Everybody else can safely skip to another article of this newsletter (but of course, feel free to read on if you are curious 😊). Continue reading Seconded at your own request? Be aware of changes to your pension contribution
