The whole appraisal and promotion/reclassification processes can be a bit of a mystery. It’s not always clear how DGs choose who to reward, nor why some years appear to be better than others. There are situations suggesting that some staff are less favoured, while some staff are evaluated as ‘not applicable’, regardless of how well they work. What can you do if your work is judged to be ‘unsatisfactory‘?
Navigating the JSIS: conference
*Update 05.02.2025: here is the recording of the conference. *Update 04.02.2025 we’ve added to the list of JSIS questions below and uploaded the presentation. Thanks to the colleague who pointed out that there is now a PMO optician form which is more recent than our draft optician letter and easier to do, since you’re not having to ask the optician to print anything. *
Original article: The Joint Sickness Insurance Scheme (JSIS) of the European Union (also RCAM [Régime Commun d’Assurance Maladie]) is not the most user-friendly of systems and yet it’s all we have, for everything health-related whether it’s routine, an accident or an illness. It’s easy to miss out on something you’re entitled to simply because you didn’t know about it and now the deadline has passed. Generation 2004 is here to present the JSIS and the common pitfalls. Continue reading Navigating the JSIS: conference
Housing allowance in Luxembourg – finally!
*Update 04.06.2025: Watch out for your notification of entitlement to the new housing allowance via sysper. If you have received nothing by 13.06.2025, check that your place of employment, grade, civil status and place of residence as recorded in Sysper are correct. The contact for all questions is the Staff Center. There are also 2 EU Learn – Information session on housing allowance available
- Tuesday 10 June at 10:00 in French
- Wednesday 11 June at 10:00 in English*
Certification: beware deadlines!
*Update 04.03.2025: we’re disappointed but not surprised at the poor results of the 2023/2024 certification exercise: 22 out of 78 colleagues passed all exams first time. Only 1 out of 7 in the French class.*
*Update 19.02.2025: ‘By default, all [internal] competitions will be cross-category.’ (Stay tuned: A new approach for internal competitions) Continue reading Certification: beware deadlines!
Working for free: it’s worse than we thought
*Update 24.01.2025: You have until Friday 31 January to request the transfer of >12 days of annual leave from 2024 to 2025. Even if your circumstances make this a right, please still request it: don’t miss out!*
Original article: Please use your time for yourself and your own wellbeing! Look below at just how much time colleagues already donate (voluntarily or otherwise) to the Commission and yet it’s still not enough, it’s never enough: there is always more work to be done. Please don’t give your valuable time away for free: there are no rewards and it will become expected of you.
Continue reading Working for free: it’s worse than we thought
EEAS: Addressing Staff Concerns in the EEAS – Actions, Recommendations, and the Road Ahead
Generation 2004 as a staff association (OSP) has as its mission to ensure that the voices of all staff are heard and translated into meaningful action. Recent general staff surveys together with the EEAS staff surveys have provided valuable insights into areas where the administration has made strides and where further improvements are strongly needed.
EEAS: Mobility within the EEAS: Time for Transparency and Adherence to Guidelines
Mobility within the European External Action Service (EEAS) is governed by two administrative decisions on the organisation of an annual internal mobility exercise (ADMIN(2015)14, Ref. Ares(2015)1451726) and implementing
guidelines Ref. (ARES(2024)2219672) that outline the legal framework and set clear guidelines for the mobility process.
Continue reading EEAS: Mobility within the EEAS: Time for Transparency and Adherence to Guidelines
Reclassification and promotion exercises 2024 : Congratulations
Generation 2004 wishes to congratulate all Contract Agents 3a for their well-deserved advancement (‘reclassification‘), together with the officials and local agents in representations who were promoted. We trust our webinar on drafting self-appraisals, our support to individual requests from colleagues to review their self-assessments and our advice on how to draft an appeal helped in the reclassification exercise.
Continue reading Reclassification and promotion exercises 2024 : Congratulations
Reducing budgetary loss while granting fairer contract agents contracts
The importance of Contract Agents to the Commission. Contract Agents play a crucial role in the functioning of the European Commission. They provide specialised support across a wide range of areas and contribute significantly to the achievement of the institution’s objectives. Their expertise is indispensable, and they often perform tasks that are vital to the daily operations of various departments. However, despite their importance, Contract Agents are not always sufficiently appreciated or valued. Continue reading Reducing budgetary loss while granting fairer contract agents contracts
The first staff regulation reform: a new underclass (long read)
Original article: In 2004, Mr. Neil Kinnock who was the Commission’s Vice-President & Commissioner responsible for the Administrative Reform, delivered his masterpiece: The (first) Staff Regulation Reform. Among the many changes and novelties proposed in the drafts for this ground-breaking reform, was a reduction in the use of Contract Agents (CAs). Incredible, eh? Continue reading The first staff regulation reform: a new underclass (long read)
