Generation 2004, in collaboration with Yasemos Europeos, is happy to offer you 2 self-study package modalities for the EPSO AD7 Audit competition. There is a special discount rate for our members ONLY.
Continue reading Training offer: EPSO competition AD7 audit – self study exam packages
The publication of the new internal competition COM/AD/106/2026 in the field of Competition and Digital policies once again raises serious questions about the coherence of the Commission’s internal competitions strategy and its approach to talent management.
Continue reading Internal Competition COM/AD/106/2026: Inclusion for Some, Exclusion for Others?
The introduction of the new SHL Interactive G+ cognitive assessment in the recent AD7 internal competition has sparked significant discussion among colleagues across the European Commission. While cognitive testing is not new in EPSO procedures, this specific format represents a substantial evolution in both methodology and scope.
***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:
or emailAs 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).
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.
On internal or open competitions, the notice of competition is the ‘bible’. Why? Due to its binding nature. The notice of competition (NoC) and its annexes operate as a binding legal framework for the procedure. You should therefore read it before anything else. You should even consider that each ‘word’ and ‘comma’ counts!
This article is not about the lack of competitions or its badly planification, wrongdoings, or about technical difficulties you may face when you are applying to internal or open competitions.
This article is a brief guide on procedures, rights and duties regarding complaints, queries, and legal remedies at your disposal when something goes wrong. Obviously, you should primarily focus on the content and not in the procedures. You should focus on the tests and not on complaints, queries and legal remedies, but it is quite important to master them when time comes. Continue reading AD7 internal competition: a compass on complaints, queries and legal remedies
*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.
*Update 26.05.2026: since this competition exam is now expected after the summer break, Yasemos Europeos has updated the calendar of this study group accordingly. Please find below the updated dates*
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 Audit competition. There is a special discount rate for our members ONLY and registrations are made on “first come first served basis”.
Recent developments in both internal and external competitions highlight growing pressure on the system and raise important questions about its capacity, reliability and fairness.
While some progress has been made, particularly with the launch of the AD7 internal competition, many of the structural challenges previously identified remain unresolved. At the same time, it is important to underline that AST/SC colleagues still do not have access to AD competitions, meaning that the move towards inclusiveness remains partial and that significant gaps persist.
Continue reading Competitions Under Pressure: Delays, Overload and Structural Challenges
The publication of the internal AD7 competition is more than just another call for applications. For many colleagues, it represents something much bigger: a long-overdue opening of real career opportunities.
For Generation 2004, this is not a coincidence. It is the result of years of sustained advocacy to make internal competitions more inclusive and to break down rigid barriers between staff categories.
Continue reading AD7 Internal Competition: A Long-Awaited Breakthrough
