z Newsletter article

A side quest to the 12 actions for Luxembourg?

Cost of living Luxembourg, Luxembourg, Newsletter-2025-10-07 Print This Post

*Update 27.10.2025 at the Central Staff Committee (plenary no 585) Mr Quest linked these ‘Luxembourg actions’ to the forthcoming  large scale review. Is this a way to squeeze yet more praise out of what increasingly appears to be an abandoned project?

Original article: Generation 2004 is pleased to see the recently-announced agreement to have bills for hospitalisation in Luxembourg sent directly to the JSIS (so a default prise en charge/direct billing). No longer will JSIS members in Luxembourg have to pay bills for scheduled (‘elective’/non-emergency) surgery and then await reimbursement[1], for example. Well done on making this happen! Continue reading A side quest to the 12 actions for Luxembourg? →

Training Offer: EPSO AD7 Building experts (4 fields) – Study group for reasoning, MCQ and written tests

EPSO, Events, Newsletter-2025-10-07, Training Print This Post

**Update 29.10.2025: Due to high demand, one additional work group in English is offered (see below in red) Update 29.10.2025: Due to high demand, one additional work group in English is offered (see below in red) *Update 08.10.2025: SOLD OUT – Registration closed. 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 Building experts (4 fields) competition.  There is a special discount rate for our members ONLY and registrations are made on “first come first served basis”.

Continue reading Training Offer: EPSO AD7 Building experts (4 fields) – Study group for reasoning, MCQ and written tests →

Lunchtime event: 12 actions for Luxembourg

Cost of living Luxembourg, Events, Luxembourg, Newsletter-2025-10-30 Print This Post

*Update 14.11.2025 Here is the presentation. Thanks to the colleague who provided information for point 5: interinstitutional excellence hubs and linking it to the Luxembourg-specific EPSO competition for data specialists.* *Update 31.10.2025, 14.11.2025 is indeed a Friday. We have corrected the article and send huge thanks to the colleague who reached out to us!*

Original article: Generation 2004 is pleased to invite you to a lunchtime event to look at the ongoing challenge of attracting and retaining staff in Luxembourg (the ‘attractivity’ issue). We will look at the original 12 actions for Luxembourg: those announced in 2022, together with the  default-direct-billing side-quest of October 2025. That’s not one of the 12 actions, not even part of our additional unofficial 13th action (hospital overpricing): is this issue really well-known enough for its solution to impact recruitment and retention in Luxembourg? Continue reading Lunchtime event: 12 actions for Luxembourg →

Savings gone too far? A need for more and better contract agent advancement 

CA screening, Commission services, Contract Agents, Cost of living Luxembourg, Newsletter-2025-10-07, OIB Print This Post

First a bit of context, Contract Agent (CA) colleagues (3A and 3B together) are now 24.5% of Commission staff, that is, CAs are the second-biggest group of staff (behind the biggest group of all: administrator (AD) officials).  For some time now there are more CAs than assistants (ASTs) (counting both AST officials and AST temporary agents) and yet the CA salary, job security and advancement possibilities in general remain limited in comparison to other categories of staff. Continue reading Savings gone too far? A need for more and better contract agent advancement  →

AST/SC – Forgotten in Delegation while the Commission does its own thing? 

Assistants, Equality, Newsletter-2025-10-07, Professional mobility, Secretaries and clerks, Vacancy, Working conditions Print This Post

In a recent internal communication on the 2026 Delegation rotation exercise [*], the European Commission announced opportunities for AST and AD staff to take up posts in European External Action Service (EEAS) Delegations around the world. Yet, one function group was (again) clearly overlooked. AST/SC staff are not even mentioned there, you have to dig to find any mention of this function group. Continue reading AST/SC – Forgotten in Delegation while the Commission does its own thing?  →

EEAS: EU DELEGATIONS PARTNERS NETWORK/GENERATION 2004

EEAS, Health, Newsletter-2025-10-07, well-being, Working conditions Print This Post

“A strong partnership for the benefit of delegation families between G2004 and EUDPN – EU Delegations Partners Network ASBL is born.  We are delighted to share that the EU Delegation Partners Network (EUDPN ASBL) has recently begun collaborating with Generation 2004, the largest staff association within the European Commission and the EEAS.
Continue reading EEAS: EU DELEGATIONS PARTNERS NETWORK/GENERATION 2004 →

Luxembourg buildings and staff as figures on a chess board

Health, Luxembourg, Newsletter-2025-10-07, well-being, Working conditions Print This Post

Where to start? Maybe start with the end goal, which is to squeeze in all Luxembourg Commission staff in 2 buildings: part of the new Jean Monnet building (JMO2) and the new Mercier-Post (MERP) building and save money at all costs even to the detriment of staff wellbeing.
Continue reading Luxembourg buildings and staff as figures on a chess board →

Education Expenses Support – call for applications until 7/11/25 

allowances, Commission services, Education, Newsletter-2025-10-07, Services Print This Post

Are you spending more than 20% of your income in education – You can apply to get support (applications until 7/11/25).  While we often are critical of bad administration practices and approaches, it is fair to mention that EU Institutions have positive programmes to support colleagues in worse situations. 
 Continue reading Education Expenses Support – call for applications until 7/11/25  →

Commission doubles down: You don’t own your mobile phone any longer 

Cyber-security, Data Protection, Newsletter-2025-10-07, well-being, Working conditions, workplace bullying and harassment Print This Post

*Update 08.10.2025: the information below was correct at the time of publication. Subsequent (unpublished) changes might have made some parts obsolete: when we receive communication detailing the changes we’ll update this article.*

As explained in our event “Who owns your mobile phone?”, the Commission is not just setting a questionable example of unsuccessfully respecting staff privacy, it is doubling down on that choice and working on granting itself formal permission to commandeer your mobile phone. The Commission is in the process of drafting a formal decision. Continue reading Commission doubles down: You don’t own your mobile phone any longer  →

Training offer: AST – Certification interview

Assistants, Certification, Events, Newsletter-2025-10-07, Staff Categories, Training Print This Post

Generation 2004, in collaboration with Yasemos Europeos, is offering online trainings  to assist you in preparing for the Certification Interviews.   The training is in EN, the registrations are on a “first come first served” basis and there is a special rate for all colleagues who want to register.  Additionaly to the below training offer, here is a free video. Continue reading Training offer: AST – Certification interview →