A new generalist internal competition at AD5 level has been published [1]. The Notice of Internal Competition [2] COM/AD/108/2026 was published on 29 May 2026, with the deadline for applications set for 30 June 2026 at 12.00, Brussels time.
The competition [3] aims to establish a reserve list of 100 successful candidates at AD5 level. As an entry-level administrator competition, it offers another possible route towards the AD function, particularly for colleagues who meet the educational requirements but do not necessarily have the professional experience required for higher-grade competitions.
AD5: An Entry-Level Route to the AD Function
The AD5 competition is designed as an entry-level administrator competition. Unlike the AD6 and AD7 competitions, it does not require prior professional experience and is therefore primarily based on academic qualifications.
Candidates must demonstrate one of the required qualification routes: a university degree of at least three years, completion of the Commission certification programme, or attested vocational training of an equivalent level to a university degree.
The competition is open to temporary agents in the AD function group, officials or temporary agents in grade AST3 or above, and FGIV Contract Agents in the Commission, provided they meet the additional eligibility requirements concerning administrative status and time served in the Commission.
Selection Procedure: New Cognitive Assessment Confirmed
The AD5 competition confirms that the new cognitive reasoning assessment introduced in the AD7 competition is now also part of the AD5 selection procedure.
As part of the first eligibility checks, candidates will be invited to sit an adaptive computer-based cognitive reasoning assessment carried out by an external company. The assessment measures numerical, inductive and deductive reasoning skills through 24 questions in 36 minutes. Candidates must reach at least the 60th percentile of the relevant benchmark population to continue in the competition.
Candidates who pass this stage and fulfil the other eligibility criteria will then proceed to the more traditional stages of the competition:
a multiple-choice test on EU knowledge;
a written test;
final eligibility checks;
an oral test.
How Does AD5 Compare to AD6 and AD7?
Although this article focuses on the new AD5 competition, it is useful to compare it briefly with the AD6 and AD7 competitions recently published.
The AD5 Generalist competition is the entry-level route. It is mainly based on educational qualifications and does not require professional experience.
The AD7 Generalist competition targets more experienced candidates. It requires several years of relevant professional experience in addition to educational qualifications. Like AD5, it includes the new cognitive reasoning assessment at the initial stage.
The AD6 Case Handler and Policy Officer competition is different. It is a specialist competition in the areas of competition and digital policies. It requires relevant professional experience and specialist knowledge, but does not include the new cognitive reasoning assessment. Instead, it relies on a specialist MCQ test and an oral assessment.
A Welcome Opening, but an Inconsistent Approach
The publication of the AD5 competition is a welcome development. After years of limited access to AD career paths, the existence of several internal competitions at AD5, AD6 and AD7 level creates more possibilities for internal mobility and career progression.
However, the design of these competitions also raises important questions.
The new cognitive reasoning assessment is used in the AD5 and AD7 Generalist competitions, both of which are the main pathways through which AST colleagues may access the AD function. By contrast, the AD6 specialist competition does not include such an assessment.
This creates an apparent inconsistency. If cognitive reasoning assessments are considered necessary to identify future AD officials, one might expect them to apply across all administrator competitions. If, on the other hand, specialist knowledge, experience and interviews are considered sufficient for the AD6 competition, colleagues may legitimately wonder why an additional cognitive filtering stage is required for AD5 and AD7 candidates.
The question becomes even more relevant because AST officials are not eligible for the AD6 competition. As a result, the staff category most affected by the new cognitive assessment is also the category with fewer alternative pathways towards the AD function.
For many colleagues, the key issue will therefore not only be whether competitions are formally open, but whether they are genuinely accessible, proportionate and consistent across staff categories.
Generation 2004 Stands at Your Side
Generation 2004 welcomes the expansion of internal career opportunities and will continue to advocate for selection procedures that are fair, transparent and accessible to all eligible colleagues.
Opening competitions is important. Ensuring that colleagues have a realistic chance to succeed is equally essential.
Generation 2004, in collaboration with Yasemos Europeos, is offering training sessions specifically designed to help candidates prepare for the AD5, AD6 and AD7 internal competitions.
toolTips('.classtoolTips23','Contract Agents (CAs) were created by the 2004 staff regulations Reform. There are two types of CA: those with unlimited contracts, 3A [4] (‘indefinite’) and those with time-limited contracts [5], 3B [6]. CAs can belong to 4 different function groups (\'GF\') with different responsibilities and salaries [7].
As the use of contract staff becomes increasingly common, there has been a corresponding increase in the diversity of status and pay of the Commission’s workforce. For example, GFIV contract staff meeting the same minimum recruitment requirements (education and experience) as junior administrators may earn 28 % less. (European Court of Auditors, 2019, Special report no 15/2019 [8]: Implementation of the 2014 staff reform package at the Commission – Big savings but not without consequences for staff, point 61, page 34)
We have a working group dedicated to the dossier, and in December 2012 we addressed the first of many letters (\'notes\') about Contract Agents to Human Resources of all Institutions and agencies [9] (here is the cover e-mail [10]).
As a background you can see the report of the Commission to the Council regarding the recruitment of the contract agents in 2010 [11] (in French, COM(2011)802 final 23.11.2011).
');