Equality

Telework from elsewhere or anywhere or abroad?

Equality, Newsletter-2025-09-11, Teleworking, teleworking from anywhere, Working conditions Print This Post

*Update 25.09.2025 The outcome of the court case related to the removal of the expatriation allowance for some staff in the Parliament while working from outside the place of employment during Covid is added as footnote [**].*

Original article: Generation 2004 has consistently asked for an extension of the current 10-day quota to telework from anywhere (also sometimes erroneously called ‘telework from abroad’) (TWA). DG HR’s often-used argument to reject this request is that the average use of this possibility remains well below the 10 days given.
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Brussels Canteens: rising prices, shrinking wages

Brussels, Commission services, Equality, Newsletter-2025-07-08, OIB, Staff Categories Print This Post

Price increase confirmed – Generation 2004 calls for support for the most vulnerable. Meal prices in the European Commission’s canteens in Brussels are set to increase by 4.2%, as confirmed by the Head of Unit responsible for the catering in OIB, during the Local Staff Committee Brussels (LSC Brussels) meeting on Tuesday 1 July.
 Continue reading Brussels Canteens: rising prices, shrinking wages →

Qualified but discounted: The hidden injustice in EU hiring 

EPSO, Equality, Newsletter-2025-07-08, Staff Categories, Vacancy Print This Post

*Update 06.10.2025: the issues outlined below are often called ‘juniorisation‘ within the Commission, but this term is not widely understood.*

Original article: Many colleagues across the EU institutions are increasingly frustrated by outdated and overly rigid eligibility rules in EPSO competitions, institutional vacancy notices and CAST recruitment. One of the most problematic aspects is the requirement that only professional experience acquired after obtaining the minimum required qualification counts toward eligibility.
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Revisiting GIPS: a route for better conditions for contract agents 

Contract Agents, Equality, Newsletter-2025-07-08, Staff Categories, Working conditions Print This Post

The current General Implementing Provisions (GIPs) – C(2017)6760 governing the working conditions of Contract Agents (CAs) have been in place since 2017.  While these provisions contributed to better alignment of rules between CAs (3a and 3b), they still reflect some systemic inequalities faced by contract staff, who remain the most undervalued and exploited staff category.  Continue reading Revisiting GIPS: a route for better conditions for contract agents  →

Time for change: out-of-date restrictions on assisted fertility?

diversity & inclusion, Equality, Health, Newsletter-2025-07-08, PMO, Services, Staff Categories Print This Post

Let the European Institutions lead the way forward, not hold us back with outdated rules.  In a world where medical science is advancing rapidly and professional careers increasingly shape personal timelines, the EU institutions and their Joint Sickness Insurance Scheme (JSIS) must ensure policies keep pace with technical and societal advances and follow the best practices seen in Member States. Commission Decision C(2023) 7673, updates its 2007 predecessor in order to broaden access to parenthood, but does it go far enough?  Continue reading Time for change: out-of-date restrictions on assisted fertility? →

Breaking news: You can now combine parental leave with TWA 

diversity & inclusion, Equality, Leave, Newsletter-2025-07-08, Teleworking, teleworking from anywhere, Working conditions Print This Post

*Update 26.08.2025 here’s the new link with instructions on how to encode those TWA days, note that even Blue Book trainees can have 5 days.*

Original article: Generation 2004 is glad to announce that from now on, you can combine any type of leave – including parental leave – with teleworking from outside the place of employment, or teleworking from anywhere (TWA). We particularly thank Mr Quest, the Director-General of HR for his positive reply to our long-standing request
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Marriage or Partnership? When EU Law Falls Behind Member States

allowances, diversity & inclusion, EEAS, Equality, Newsletter-2025-07-08, Staff Regulations Reform Print This Post

*Update 02.07.2025 we have corrected several points in the article below and apologise for any confusion caused.*

Original article: Have you ever wondered why, in a progressive and inclusive European Union, your registered partnership – fully recognised by your region or Member State as equivalent to marriage – may still be treated as ‘less than’ by the EU institutions’ social security systems?

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Child Allowance and Scholarships – When the Commission gets tangled up in its own bureaucracy 

allowances, Equality, Health, Newsletter-2025-06-16 Print This Post

Staff members with dependent children receive a household allowance, a dependent child allowance and, under certain conditions, an education allowance. For adult children between the ages of 18 and 26, the continued payment of these allowances and further tax reductions are subject to the adult child receiving educational or vocational training. Continue reading Child Allowance and Scholarships – When the Commission gets tangled up in its own bureaucracy  →

Job Mobility for Contract Agent 3a Staff in Offices: From Better Visibility to Real Opportunities

Contract Agents, Equality, Newsletter-2025-06-16, OIB, PMO, Professional mobility, Staff Categories, Working conditions Print This Post

Assessing the current situation. Despite existing frameworks for job mobility (as discussed in a previous article), the experience of Contract Agents (CA) under Article 3a of CEOS, particularly those working in the Commission’s Offices[*], reveals persistent structural shortcomings.
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Mid-grade AD promotion? Only if you are a people manager

Administrators, Equality, Newsletter-2025-05-08, Promotions, Staff Categories, Working conditions Print This Post

As the promotion season is now once again upon us, there are no doubt many of you who are expecting “on-time” promotions for your efforts over the last few years[*].  The bad news for those of you non-managers in ‘middle management‘ grades AD9 to AD11 is that when the DG lists come out in June you might be disappointed.
Continue reading Mid-grade AD promotion? Only if you are a people manager →