Justice Won:  Egg-Freezing Costs Reimbursed after appeal 

We are happy to share a success story from one of our members that can be a source of inspiration for others in the same situation.  Sometimes, change begins with one person refusing to accept a negative.  Check JSIS reimbursement sheets for instructions on how to challenge non-reimbursement or check the other options available: sometimes insistence pays off! If you get stuck, we’re here for you!

Continue reading Justice Won:  Egg-Freezing Costs Reimbursed after appeal 

Lunchtime event: 12 actions for Luxembourg

*Update 14.11.2025 Here is the presentation. Thanks to the colleague who provided information for point 5: interinstitutional excellence hubs and linking it to the Luxembourg-specific EPSO competition for data specialists.* *Update 31.10.2025, 14.11.2025 is indeed a Friday. We have corrected the article and send huge thanks to the colleague who reached out to us!*

Original article: Generation 2004 is pleased to invite you to a lunchtime event to look at the ongoing challenge of attracting and retaining staff in Luxembourg (the ‘attractivity’ issue). We will look at the original 12 actions for Luxembourg: those announced in 2022, together with the  default-direct-billing side-quest of October 2025. That’s not one of the 12 actions, not even part of our additional unofficial 13th action (hospital overpricing): is this issue really well-known enough for its solution to impact recruitment and retention in Luxembourg? Continue reading Lunchtime event: 12 actions for Luxembourg

Reforming Promotion Practices for Fairness and Transparency

In recent discussions, a pressing issue has reemerged regarding the current promotion/reclassification practices in general and those within the External Action Service (EEAS) in particular. It has again come to light that the existing process poses several challenges, not only for staff members being evaluated, but also for those responsible for evaluating promotions/reclassifications. Continue reading Reforming Promotion Practices for Fairness and Transparency

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 

AST/SC – Forgotten in Delegation while the Commission does its own thing? 

In a recent internal communication on the 2026 Delegation rotation exercise [*], the European Commission announced opportunities for AST and AD staff to take up posts in European External Action Service (EEAS) Delegations around the world. Yet, one function group was (again) clearly overlooked. AST/SC staff are not even mentioned there, you have to dig to find any mention of this function group. Continue reading AST/SC – Forgotten in Delegation while the Commission does its own thing? 

EEAS: EU DELEGATIONS PARTNERS NETWORK/GENERATION 2004

“A strong partnership for the benefit of delegation families between G2004 and EUDPN – EU Delegations Partners Network ASBL is born.  We are delighted to share that the EU Delegation Partners Network (EUDPN ASBL) has recently begun collaborating with Generation 2004, the largest staff association within the European Commission and the EEAS.
Continue reading EEAS: EU DELEGATIONS PARTNERS NETWORK/GENERATION 2004

Luxembourg buildings and staff as figures on a chess board

Where to start? Maybe start with the end goal, which is to squeeze in all Luxembourg Commission staff in 2 buildings: part of the new Jean Monnet building (JMO2) and the new Mercier-Post (MERP) building and save money at all costs even to the detriment of staff wellbeing.
Continue reading Luxembourg buildings and staff as figures on a chess board

Education Expenses Support – call for applications until 7/11/25 

Are you spending more than 20% of your income in education – You can apply to get support (applications until 7/11/25)While we often are critical of bad administration practices and approaches, it is fair to mention that EU Institutions have positive programmes to support colleagues in worse situations. 
Continue reading Education Expenses Support – call for applications until 7/11/25 

Commission doubles down: You don’t own your mobile phone any longer 

*Update 08.10.2025: the information below was correct at the time of publication. Subsequent (unpublished) changes might have made some parts obsolete: when we receive communication detailing the changes we’ll update this article.*

As explained in our event “Who owns your mobile phone?”, the Commission is not just setting a questionable example of unsuccessfully respecting staff privacy, it is doubling down on that choice and working on granting itself formal permission to commandeer your mobile phone. The Commission is in the process of drafting a formal decision. Continue reading Commission doubles down: You don’t own your mobile phone any longer 

Training offer: AST – Certification interview

Generation 2004, in collaboration with Yasemos Europeos, is offering online trainings  to assist you in preparing for the Certification Interviews.   The training is in EN, the registrations are on a “first come first served” basis and there is a special rate for all colleagues who want to register.  Additionaly to the below training offer, here is a free video. Continue reading Training offer: AST – Certification interview