*Update 03.07.2025 tables and links to sources added for clarity and to facilitate your own reading.*
Original article: Are you ready to stand up for fairness? Do the high costs of nursery (pre-school) [1] affect you? Where this happens outside the EU, have the additional years of non-reimbursable costs discouraged you from considering a Delegation post? if you’re already in delegation, were the differences in education costs made clear to you before you arrived? Were you able to make informed choices?
Generation 2004 is shining a light on a pivotal collective case under appeal – alongside two others – in order to fight for fairer education reimbursements.
If the collective case is successful then it could mean that the education allowance ceiling for each child is better aligned with the real cost, removal of the need to justify payments for pre-school, together with making provision for exceptional reimbursements in high-cost locations.
Education allowances/reimbursements
EU Commission EEAS/EU Delegations Paid from child age birth 3 ‘The refund will be calculated pro-rata from the month in which the child reaches 3 years of age.’(Pre-primary allowance (Type A)
Paid until child age Maximum 8 if the child is not yet in primary school Entry into primary school (no age given though normally 6 years) Amount (EUR) 125.01/month (1500/year) 4273,92/year maximum Type of payment Automatic, monthly, no evidence needed Reimbursement upon request, with evidence and within strict deadlines ‘The staff member pays the total annual fees. Advances are not granted for pre-primary education. Eligible costs are registration and tuition fees, but not transport fees.’
‘…at the latest within three months following the end of the school year. Failing it, the application will not be considered, except in cases of force majeure.’
Costs in excess of EU allowance Not covered ‘The pre-school allowance is a fixed rate allowance and cannot be increased even if your child attends a private school or if the bus cost exceeds the amount of the allowance.’
Limited to where there has been a change of school, a change of place of posting or ‘in the final year of kindergarten may be considered eligible where attendance is recommended for subsequent enrolment in primary’ Source Staff Matters>Family>Family benefits>Education allowance>Nursery EU Delegations’ Guide>Education Allowances
Inexplicably, European External Action Service (EEAS) currently denies any pre-primary education reimbursement to kids under 3 and insists on evidence and paperwork for the over-3s, unfairly burdening young families in comparison to those at the Commission. The EU Delegation policy to offer up to €4273 annually for kids from the age of 3 only is insufficient, and leaves parents with under-3s out in the cold, making it particularly difficult for parents once maternity and birth leave (and potentially parental leave, CCP and part-time) options are exhausted.
Discrimination: outside vs inside the EU
| Parents in delegation | Parents at the Commission | |
| Payment for children under the age of 3 | No | Monthly automatic allowance |
| Payment for children aged 3-primary school | Yes, a reimbursement paid retrospectively on submission of evidence within strict deadlines | Monthly automatic allowance |
| School fees must be paid in advance and reclaimed | Normally, yes | If outside the European School system |
| Children in mandatory education | No European School system | European School system (for the majority) |
It’s time for change!
Meanwhile, one further point is that from entry into primary school parents are reimbursed up to €23.739,84/year/child in delegation (and €4166/year/child(€347.20/month) in the Commission (with the huge potential advantage there of access to a European School). The message below also queries whether the difference in pre-school and primary school allowances in general is justified, given the costs assumed by the parents.
Generation 2004 has supported this cause from day one, offering both legal and financial support. We are advocating for a fairer system that supports all families, ensuring an inclusive, diverse and equitable work environment.
Join us and support this crowdfunding campaign (message below) led by our brave colleagues in court. Every euro counts !
Message from colleagues:
Dear colleagues,
As a colleague in an EU Delegation or considering joining one, we draw your attention to a recent Tribunal ruling that denies entitlements for nursery/day care fee reimbursements for staff in third countries. This perpetuates a system that fails to support young families with crippling education costs, often reaching up to €37,000 per child per year in some third countries.
We’re standing up for fairness through collective action and appealing the ruling before the Court of Justice of the EU, and testing more arguments in cases T-542/24 and T-306/25. To support the cause, we are calling on the community of colleagues and launching a crowdfunding campaign to help covering legal fees for our actions. Your support will send a powerful message: we refuse to accept the status quo and want a welcoming, diverse work environment for all colleagues.
Every € counts ! Donate here
Let’s make a difference together and create a welcoming, diverse, family-friendly work environment in Delegations for all colleagues, including ASTs and Contract Agents, who are even more severely impacted.
Why we won’t give up:
- Young families with children under 5 are denied third-country childcare support, unlike those with older children (5+ years), who get a more generous education allowance up to 25 times higher. The current budget difficulties cannot justify such a disproportionate differential treatment.
- Staff posted to third countries face childcare costs which can be as high as €37,000 per child, without access to affordable alternatives such as State-subsidised or European crèches.
- The proposed solution of taking parental leave to avoid costs is unworkable. It also disproportionately affects women’s careers, with 82% of those who reduced working hours to care for children being women.
- We’re presenting a straightforward case to the Court: staff in third-country postings should be eligible for the special education allowance under Annex X, which requires no minimum age conditions. The tribunal missed the derogatory implications of Annex X.
Join us in making a difference today!
We are grateful to Generation 2004 for supporting the cause and our cases, and call on all Unions to join forces. Together, we can challenge the current inadequate management of staff with young children, and hold EEAS accountable to its diversity and inclusion Agenda.
Your support will help make progress.
Thank you!
Contact: eudelegationparents@gmail.com
