Services

End-of-year checklist 2024

In response to your feedback we try to send this list out a bit earlier in order to give you time to take action. We encourage you to do what you can now in order to be able to use the end-of-year period to rest and to recharge your batteries. This is not an opportunity to get work done!  Please, as far as you can, switch off your devices, mute notifications and disconnect: take the time for you. Continue reading End-of-year checklist 2024

ISPRA CANTEEN: Starving for Solutions 

While the pandemic spelled doom for many of the Commission’s canteens on different sites, the Ispra canteen recovered remarkably well from the effects of Covid, not least thanks to the efforts and dedication of its staff. This success is now under threat. And this time it is not a pandemic, but a combination of delayed decisions Continue reading ISPRA CANTEEN: Starving for Solutions 

End of service: IT access

This topic came out of our October sessions on pensions but the information is applicable to anyone leaving the Commission whether that’s at the end of a contract, to retire or for several other reasons. According to your circumstances, you might need access to the IT systems  to submit medical costs, to get certificates or to manage the EU unemployment allowance[1]. Continue reading End of service: IT access

Education allowances – Higher education

Are you a parent navigating the complexities of higher education allowances for your dependent child? This informative session, organised by PMO, might be interesting for you.  It will focus on the various types of allowances available and the essential steps to complete the education declaration in Sysper for the 2024/25 academic year.
Continue reading Education allowances – Higher education

Streamlining the Family Allowance Process: A Welcome Change for EU Staff in Belgium

*Update 08.07.2024.  We will not claim that PMO reacted to our note of May and implemented the new system within this one month. But we do believe that we gave a bit of a push.  Lately, the European Union’s Paymaster’s Office (PMO) has been under scrutiny due to prolonged delays in processing school fee reimbursements and third-party allowances.

Continue reading Streamlining the Family Allowance Process: A Welcome Change for EU Staff in Belgium

ING Lux client? Act now!

*Update 28.06.2024: many thanks to the colleagues who got in touch to say that bank account changes are happening quickly and to suggest accounts with the association cooperative financière des fonctionnaires (AMFIE) as an option.*

Original article: If you have a Luxembourg ING bank account please act quickly to ensure that you receive your August salary. We calculate that you must not only have a new account in place but also have it approved within the FiLIP application by Thursday 20.06.2024 to avoid problems. We’ve sent a note to PMO to ask what workarounds they have in place and whether they’re ready for this additional (and sudden) increase in workload. Continue reading ING Lux client? Act now!

Another positive PMO story

Welcome to the latest of your positive PMO stories. We highlight again how much it comes down to the goodwill of our PMO colleagues and on their willingness to intervene manually to fill the gaps between different systems and processes. In this edition a PMO colleague ensured a colleague claimed the disability-related reimbursements they were entitled to. To that PMO colleague, thanks so much for doing this: it made an enormous difference! Continue reading Another positive PMO story

A positive PMO story

Apologies for the time taken in publishing your positive PMO stories. Here we share the first of the many stories received: one highlighting where the complex  landscape of the PMO  could easily work against the well-being of anyone who has to interact with it, particularly in situations which are already stressful. Here we take the time to appreciate how much the good functioning of those systems can depend Continue reading A positive PMO story

Your health: seeking transparency and action

At the last meeting of the Local Staff Committee of Brussels, DG HR shared significant data regarding sickness leave and invalidity. They underlined that some of these data require further analysis which they intend to conduct to clarify reasons why, for example, more women than men are reported sick.   Continue reading Your health: seeking transparency and action