Different practices among the Commission
Generation 2004 has recently been contacted by colleagues regarding their concerns over differing practices across Commission services concerning invitations to CAST selection procedures.
Contract Agents
Advancement Possibilities for Contract Agents: Optimistic on Paper, Disappointing in Practice
Advancement opportunities for Contract Agents (CAs) are often perceived as limited. Various mechanisms for career progression exist, but they differ considerably in terms of accessibility. Some are automatic, some require significant effort, some depend on available resources, and others are subject to restrictions that make them far less accessible in practice than they appear on paper.
Conference: 11.06.2026 reclassification and promotion appeals, Generation 2004 is here to help
***UPDATE: You can find the link to the recording and to the presentation here.***
The 2026 draft reclassification and promotion lists will be published in Sysper on Thursday 11 June. There are now very limited options to influence whether your name is on the final lists when they are published mid-November. We have a lunchtime event planned to explain both what happens next and what those limited options are that are available to you if you find that your name is not on that list (and you believe that it should be). Please prepare for the event and start making notes for a potential appeal.
Thursday 11 June at lunchtime (12.30-13.30 Brussels time)
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Consult Sysper and check whether you are proposed for promotion/reclassification.
1. Your name is on the draft June list
i. Congratulations!!!
ii.Please consider that the June lists are drafts only and that the final promotion/reclassification lists are published in November. There are no guarantees that your name will be on that final list. For those wanting to avoid all risk we advise you to consider waiting until December before changing DG or function group (e.g. certification) or going on unpaid leave/CCP. Also, while no one chooses the timing of their own disciplinary action, please be aware of its damage potential here.
2. Your name is not on the draft June list
i. Check below whether you’re eligible for promotion/reclassification and what the average speed is for you.
| Staff[*] | Appraisal | Reward possible? | Minimum time in grade (‘seniority’) to be eligible | Average speed of reward |
| Officials | Yes | Promotion | 2 years | staff regulations Annex I.B and our chart with those percentages converted to years |
| Temporary agents (2a and 2d) | Yes | Reclassification (JRC/GROW/RTD only) [**] | 2 years | Staff Regulations Annex I.B |
| Temporary agents (2b, 2c, 2e, 2f) | Yes | no[***] | Not applicable (N/A) | N/A |
| Contract Agents 3a | Yes | reclassification | 2 years | Page 5-6 of Commission Decision C(2013) 2529 final |
| Contract Agents 3b | Yes | no | ≤ 3 years | N/A |
ii. Consider whether the reason for not including your name on the list might be related not to your performance but to other reasons: having moved team/DG (‘mobility’), having taken parental/maternity leave, a change of line manager, other difficulties or personal conflicts.
iii. Draft an appeal text. The appeal is a misnomer: you are not questioning anyone’s assessment of you, but rather requesting access to the small amount (5% of the overall quota) of promotions/reclassifications held back for this purpose. No one will know whether or not you appealed unless you are successful. And if you are successful then you’ve made your manager’s work easier next year since you will already have been promoted/reclassified.
iv. Get someone else to look at your appeal. As usual Generation 2004 can help with reviewing your draft but, due the number of cases and the shortness of the period, we are unable to write it for you or with you. Please register via our online form and we will then contact you to let you know who from our team will work with you and to arrange for a meeting if you prefer to talk to us.
v. submit the appeal via sysper within 5 working days from the date of publication of the proposal lists (in principle late Thursday 18 June, but this is extended for those on leave). So, even if the appeal tab is no longer visible in SYSPER, if you believe this applies to you, please contact HR 
e.g.
‘Dear colleagues, Please re-activate the appeal button in SYSPER. I would like to file my appeal against my exclusion in the list of proposal for promotion/reclassification [delete one] this year. However, the corresponding tab in Sysper is no longer available. I was unable to use SYSPER due to sick leave/annual leave/etc. [delete as appropriate] and so for me the period of 5 working days has not yet expired. Please advise how to proceed.’
vi. Wait until the final lists are published in mid-November. There is nothing more for you to do. Your appeal will be examined by the committee and may result in your name being added to the list of reclassification proposals. Ultimately however, it is the Appointing Authority that takes the decision to promote members of staff.
The next steps in the 2025 reclassification and promotion exercises are:
- mid-November: publication of final lists in (check administrative notices or email
- December: changes visible in pay slip.
As always, we would love to hear from you. Please do not hesitate to get in touch with us or leave a comment below.
If you appreciate our work, please consider becoming a member of Generation 2004.
For those of you unable to wait, please check 2025 recording and the 2025 presentation.
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[*] Local agents are promoted via different processes: here are the rules for delegations (EEAS) and here is an example for those in EU Representations.
[**] There is a joint committee on reclassification (not promotion) for Temporary Agents (TAs) of JRC/GROW/RTD only. We also see TAs with permanent contracts (yes, mental gymnastics are necessary here: to be permanently temporary) 2a and 2d listed for reclassification.
[***] 16.01.2023 HR response to our questions on TAs: Conditions of Employment of Other Servants (CEOS) (Article 15(2)) which states that only the provisions on annual reports [appraisal] from the Staff Regulations (SR) (Article 43) apply by analogy to TAs. By contrast, there is no such provision concerning promotion (SR Article 45). This means that, in principle, TAs are not subject to promotion. This principle is confirmed in the case-law of the General Court (e.g. T-366/15 P, paragraph 48).
Generation 2004 supports the petition in favour of Contract Agents (CA) – our support for the Contract Agents’ Collective
In the recent weeks and days, you might have received via email a petition from the ‘CA collective’. What the ‘CA collective’ is proposing is not new to us. To a large extent, it is a reflection and continuation of the positions that we, as a staff association, have been advocating for over a long period of time and aligned with our postulates for CAs.
Following the exchange of views with the colleagues involved, we understood their intentions and convictions and consequently we have decided to support the related petition. This position was re-confirmed during the conference organised on 4 May 2026.
Meeting with members: updates on key issues, exchange of views and Q&A
*Update: please find here the presentation and the recording of the webinar*
On Tuesday, 5 May 2026 at lunchtime (12:30 – 13:30) we held a meeting with members on current key issues of interest for staff. The meeting, which was held online, was a valuable opportunity for our members to receive updates on current topics, exchange views on issues affecting colleagues, and ask questions.
The agenda included particularly European Schools, competitions, social dialogue on sick leave, Large Scale Review, Contract Agents and more.
If you have questions, feel free to contact us by email or through our usual channels.
Understanding grades and steps in the career of Contract Agents
Generation 2004 is frequently approached by colleagues seeking advice on how to advance in grading. This article aims at clarifying what one can expect (or not) in that respect during their engagement in the institution, but also upon recruitment or contract change. Continue reading Understanding grades and steps in the career of Contract Agents
Breaking the glass ceiling: structural barriers facing contract agents in internal competitions
*Update 16.02.26: See the latest DG HR reply under references*
Many Contract Agents see internal competitions within the European Commission as an opportunity for professional advancement and greater career stability. However, in practice, both regulatory (see also point 17a of CAs FAQ) and operational obstacles often limit the effectiveness of these competitions. Contract agents encounter structural constraints rooted in the staff regulations (CEOS) as well as practical difficulties related to recruitment outcomes and job availability. These challenges risk undermining both staff motivation and the Commission’s ability to retain experienced personnel.
Contract Agent FAQs
As promised, please find below a list of frequently asked questions (FAQs) on Contract Agents (CAs). The questions were harvested to a large extent from our October 2025 CA event (thanks to all who attended!) and from the many, many CA questions received via email. At Generation 2004 we find it frustrating that many discussions on improving CA situations in many different spheres are shut down with ‘well, they knew what they signed up for’. We find that this is most certainly not the case: if it is difficult even for staff representatives to know exactly which rules apply, how on earth can we expect new arrivals (newbies) or even returners (false newbies) to know? Continue reading Contract Agent FAQs
Lunchtime event: Contract Agents: key challenges and recent developments
*Update 30.10.2025, here’s the promised Contract Agent FAQs.*
*Update 29.10.2025: here is the recording and the slides.
Original article: Generation 2004 is here again to help you to know the rules that apply to you as a Contract Agents (CAs). We want you to make the best decisions you can with the information available. In the hybrid event below we plan to have around 1.5 hours to address your CA questions. We intend to gather all of your questions to make a Contract Agent frequently asked questions (FAQs) for our website. Continue reading Lunchtime event: Contract Agents: key challenges and recent developments
Savings gone too far? A need for more and better contract agent advancement
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
