Professional mobility

Internal Competitions 2025-2027: A Career Breakthrough or a Tactical Diversion? 

Certification, Equality, Internal Competitions, Junior Professionals Programme, Newsletter-2025-02-28, Professional mobility, Promotions, reclassification, Staff Categories, Working conditions Print This Post

*Update 18.03 we’ve seen the undated FAQs and apply it to [*] below. ‘If you wish to be notified about the publication of an internal competition, you have the possibility to subscribe to the administrative notices’ alerts via this link: Administrative Notices – message alert system.’*

Original article: Opportunities Announced, But Do They Truly Deliver?  The European Commission has announced its internal competitions planning for 2025-2027, introducing more frequent competitions and cross-category mobility up to AD10. This appears to be a positive development at first glance, but a deeper analysis of eligibility criteria and staff demographics raises serious concerns about how inclusive and effective these competitions will be in addressing long-standing career progression issues.  Continue reading Internal Competitions 2025-2027: A Career Breakthrough or a Tactical Diversion?  →

Mobility Paradox: Forced to Move or Stuck in Place?

diversity & inclusion, Equality, Newsletter-2025-02-28, Professional mobility, Promotions, Staff Categories, Working conditions Print This Post

Changes in tasks and/or working environment’ (‘mobility’) are inevitable in any workplace, and in organisations the size of the Commission and the external action service (EEAS, with over 144 Delegations around the world) these are seldom user-friendly processes. As often happens within the institutions, the term ‘mobility’ itself covers a huge range of diverse exercises with different rules regarding the level of obligation, the frequency and to whom those rules apply. Continue reading Mobility Paradox: Forced to Move or Stuck in Place? →

Navigating the rental market: A call for tenant protections and institutional support

Brussels, Commission services, diversity & inclusion, EEAS, Luxembourg, Newsletter-2025-02-12, Professional mobility, Services Print This Post

Brussels, the heart of the European Union, welcomes thousands of newcomers every year: colleagues arriving to take up positions in the institutions. For many, across all Commission sites[1], securing a place to live is one of the first and most critical challenges they face[2]. However, navigating the complex rental system, understanding legal rights and obligations, and dealing with landlords who may not always act in good faith often turn what should be a straightforward process into a stressful and costly ordeal. Continue reading Navigating the rental market: A call for tenant protections and institutional support →

ASTs: exploited and forgotten or given a future? 

Assistants, Certification, EPSO, Internal Competitions, Newsletter - 2024-11-15, Professional mobility Print This Post

*Update 19.02.2025: ‘By default, all [internal] competitions will be cross-category.’ (Stay tuned: A new approach for internal competitions) This is excellent news and should now put the Commission on an even footing with the Parliament and other EU institutions. We hope that this inclusion is genuine and that the competitions are not  otherwise skewed to reduce participation. Participation in these competitions can be done in parallel to the certification: use all your options!* Continue reading ASTs: exploited and forgotten or given a future?  →

Reinforcing mobility for contract agents 

Agencies, Contract Agents, Cost of living Luxembourg, Newsletter - 2024-09-25, Professional mobility, Promotions, reclassification, Vacancy, Working conditions Print This Post

Generation2004 has taken a closer look at the potential to change post or DG (‘mobility’) of Contract Agents (both permanent 3A and non-permanent 3B), triggered by the feedback from our members. We are astonished how restrictive and inflexible the system continues to be. We are convinced that a lack of mobility in general hampers career growth which can lead to frustration, demotivation, burnout and contribute to long periods of medical leave. A change is needed! 

Continue reading Reinforcing mobility for contract agents  →

Upholding flexibility offered by Third-party option in Mobility.net  

Commission services, commuting, Environment, Luxembourg, Mobility and Climate, Newsletter - 2024-07-16, Professional mobility, Working conditions Print This Post

*Update 24.10.2024 We’re aware of OIB now accepting cross-border commuter passes reimbursement requests via myPMO, but Luxembourg-based colleagues are to use the same method as before.*

*Update 15.07.2024 Check out ‘A new tool for reimbursement’ in the Brussels Green Commuting Communication on MyIntracomm. It promises reimbursement of Brussels transport tickets without having to wait for them to expire. Have you managed to do this? Please let us know!*

Continue reading Upholding flexibility offered by Third-party option in Mobility.net   →

Own-initiative training: You are, in fact, on your own

Education, New HR strategy, Newsletter - 2024-04-11, Professional mobility, Training, Working conditions Print This Post

*Update 09.04.2024 we have received a response to our note below from HR: the own-initiative training budget is very limited but special leave might still be available as a contribution to your OIT. Please use all your options!*

Original article: If you work for the Commission and you would like to keep up with developments in your area of expertise, or to acquire new skills to help you in your work, you are in for an unpleasant surprise. Up until recently, the Commission would contribute to the fees of a successful course, making it easier to take the decision to acquire university or other qualifications later in your career – especially for colleagues at the lower end of the pay scales. Continue reading Own-initiative training: You are, in fact, on your own →

Internal competitions – but for whom?

EPSO, Internal Competitions, Newsletter - 2023-12-01, Professional mobility Print This Post

*Update 19.02.2025: ‘By default, all [internal] competitions will be cross-category.’ (Stay tuned: A new approach for internal competitions) This is excellent news and should now put the Commission on an even footing with the Parliament and other EU institutions. We hope that this inclusion is genuine and that the competitions are not  otherwise skewed to reduce participation.* Continue reading Internal competitions – but for whom? →

Language choice in EPSO competitions – beware the consequences of automatic translation

EPSO, Internal Competitions, Newsletter - 2023-11-14, Professional mobility Print This Post

*16.11.2023, thanks to the colleague who confirmed that the disinformation/misinformation issue outlined in footnote 1 has since been fixed.* Original article: For some time already, EPSO is moving towards monolingualism: we are seeing  competitions that are by-and-large English-only. This appears to completely disregard the 16.02.2023 outcome of the EPSO case where the Court of Justice confirmed the unlawfulness of artificially restricting the choice of the second language of competitions to 3 languages: English, French and German. Continue reading Language choice in EPSO competitions – beware the consequences of automatic translation →

Breaking Barriers: AST/SC colleagues may change function group?

Assistants, Brussels, EPSO, Newsletter - 2023-10-10, Professional mobility, Promotions, Secretaries and clerks, Staff Categories Print This Post

*Update 04.01.2024: The AST1 and 3 competitions which will be open to AST/SC colleagues originally promised for December is now for January. Follow all internal competitions here.* Original article: While we are thrilled to announce that our efforts have contributed to the announcement by DG HR, that in future, colleagues might have the opportunity to change function groups through internal competitions, it remains to be seen whether this inclusiveness is genuine or something which exists in theory only.  The wording of the announcement is for movement ‘within each function group’ but it does also mention specialised competitions which might include a ‘wider mix of staff categories and function groups’; a measured success.

Continue reading Breaking Barriers: AST/SC colleagues may change function group? →