Promotions

The promotion system for officials: How it works

Newsletter #28 - Apr 2018, Promotions, z Newsletter article Print This Post

The annual promotion decisions are taken by the Appointing Authority (AA), on the basis of 1) proposals by the senior management of each DG; 2) recommendations by a Joint Promotion Committee (JPC).

DGs and JPCs must determine who deserves a promotion on the basis of a comparison of merits (in theory…, see article below). All officials take part in the appraisal exercise. But only those who are eligible for promotion, i.e. have been in the grade for at least 2 years take part in the promotion exercise. Continue reading The promotion system for officials: How it works →

Reform of the promotion system

Features, Newsletter #28 - Apr 2018, Promotions, z Newsletter article Print This Post

Elsewhere we explain how the promotion exercise works in theory, with three levels of ‘merit comparison’ along the exercise (at directorate-general level, by the Joint Promotion Committees and their preparatory groups, and finally by the appointing authority (AIPN)) on the basis of comprehensive and unambiguous appraisals. Continue reading Reform of the promotion system →

Promotions: why are some years good and some other years bad?

Newsletter #23 – Jun 2017, Promotions, z Newsletter article Print This Post

You might have been promoted this year, or not promoted… We have argued many times that the current promotion system is flawed but why is there so much uncertainty in the system? Part of the explanation lies in the so-called “wave effect”. Basically, if you are in a grade with increasing population, for instance because of the arrival of a wave of colleagues promoted from the grade below, the mathematical peculiarities of Annex IB of the staff regulations result in a temporary increase in the quota of promotions available for that grade (see Annex 1 below for a theoretical example). Conversely, if you are in a grade with decreasing population, there will at some stage be a temporary decrease in the quota of promotions available for your grade. As a result, if you are lucky to be in “growing” grade, you might be promoted quickly just because “you are riding the front of the wave”. If you are in a “shrinking” grade, you might have to wait longer than normal to get your promotion just because you are “floating” on the “tail of the wave”. Continue reading Promotions: why are some years good and some other years bad? →

Art 90 Template – Promotion exercise 2016

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Dear G2004 members,

First of all, we would like once again to congratulate those (numerous) of you who received their well-deserved promotion during the 2016 promotion exercise.

You were lucky this time not to be penalised by a leaving Head of unit or restructuring of your DG or many other factors which have nothing to do with merit and performance but do influence the outcome of the procedure. Continue reading Art 90 Template – Promotion exercise 2016 →

Outrage over EC approaching 1000 senior experts/senior assistants’ nominations – widening career gap and waste of precious administration budget

Newsletter #21 – Feb 2017, Promotions, Staff Categories, z Newsletter article Print This Post

*Update 07.05.2025:  We recognise that we’ve changed our view on senior experts. While we have criticised this category in the past (as below), we now see the value in not pushing staff into managing people as the only way forward and similarly to allow those already managing people to step away from that to do something different.

Recognition for Senior Experts: Addressing the systemic neglect of senior experts in promotion exercises. These colleagues are often overlooked in favour of those who manage people, contrary to staff regulations that view managerial and expert careers as equal. (Manifesto 2024)

Continue reading Outrage over EC approaching 1000 senior experts/senior assistants’ nominations – widening career gap and waste of precious administration budget →

How the promotion system works, and why you might be disappointed with this year’s promotion exercise

Promotions, z Newsletter article Print This Post

As every year, the decision of who to promote or not will be largely driven by a set of crude quotas supplied to DGs by DG HR. Because of the clumsy way quotas are calculated many hard working colleagues who have performed well will be left scratching their heads, disappointed at their lack of promotion.

To explain the problem, let us visualise two different DGS with 6 colleagues at each DG of the same grade, where the grade in question has a promotion rate set by the staff regulations of 33% (e.g. AST3->AST4, AD8->AD9, etc.) implying an average promotion rate of 3 years: Continue reading How the promotion system works, and why you might be disappointed with this year’s promotion exercise →

Promotions: adapted Article 90 template available in January

Newsletter #20 - Dec 2016, Promotions, z Newsletter article Print This Post

Every year G2004 provides support to members but also colleagues irrespectively of their trade union affiliation in defending their rights in the framework of promotions exercise. We congratulate everyone who received their welldeserved promotion this year. For those of you who did not find their names on the list of promoted officials for 2016 we offer our support for an article 90 appeal. During this year’s exercise G2004 representatives in the Promotions Committees deposited an objection note (for AD and AST) which will give additional factual weight to the claims of all who decide to launch an appeal. Our new adapted template will be available in January.

Candy Crush 2014

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OCTOBER 2014 – Candy Crush 2014: How DG HR plans to circumvent the statute and use more EU admin budget to benefit top-earners without management responsibility

Candyland

You may remember that in our June newsletter we had expressed the hope that the Commission would make positive use of the new provisions in the staff regulations, which (justifiably) limit the career progression of AD12+ staff without any management responsibility. Continue reading Candy Crush 2014 →

Dirty games and money for nothing (or “NEPOTISM REDEFINED” for the more discerning)

Internal Competitions, Newsletter #7 - Jul 2014, Promotions, z Newsletter article Print This Post

G2004 Newsletter # 7

The first results of the internal competitions were published on the Commission intranet. Hey ho! Like every fifth year it is again parachute- jumping season in the European Commission. Our HR pros, who say of themselves: “Our staff are dedicated to making the civil service of the European Union a modern, effective and dynamic organisation, fit for the challenges of the 21st century”, have again found a way to hand out the silken parachutes to the privileged few. Continue reading Dirty games and money for nothing (or “NEPOTISM REDEFINED” for the more discerning) →

Generation Edith Cresson: how to ensure beyond any reasonable doubt that none of the elite suffers any hunger-pains

Administrators, Newsletter #8 - Oct 2014, Professional mobility, Promotions, Staff Categories, Staff Regulations Reform, z Newsletter article Print This Post

G2004 Newsletter #8

Talking about privileged officials (some dare to call them “fat cats”, one wonders why), a transitional measure of the 2014 reform of the staff regulations that has received little attention thus far, is the creation of 2 new steps for AD12 and AD13 grades. AD13s, for instance, will now be able to reach step 7, instead of the maximum of step 5 before 1 January 2014. In financial terms, this will translate into a monthly salary almost €500 higher than what was possible before. As a result, the beneficiaries will be able to reach the same salary as an AD14 step 1 with no need for a promotion. They will mostly be senior AD12/AD13, many of them having already reached the end of career grade of A4/8 before the 2004 reform, in case they are not able to land upon a “Senior Expert” (see above) position. Continue reading Generation Edith Cresson: how to ensure beyond any reasonable doubt that none of the elite suffers any hunger-pains →