Failure to organise EPSO AST 1 competitions for Croatian nationals

30.1.2015

Question for written answer E-001383-15
to the Commission
Rule 130
Ivan Jakovčić (ALDE)

During the run-up to, and the period immediately following, Croatia’s accession to the EU (2011-2013) EPSO did not publish a single notice of competition for Croats at AST 1 level. At the time of the two previous enlargements, in 2004 and 2007, three AST 1 competitions were organised for each of the new Member States. Between 2011 and 2013 the institutions and the Member States were negotiating on the new Staff Regulations, and it was eventually agreed that, instead of lowering the salaries of all employees at all levels, a new low-paid SC (secretary/clerk) category would be introduced and over the long term gradually replace the AST 1 grade. The fact that the Staff Regulations entered into force on 1 January 2014 means that there was no legal justification for the failure to organise an AST 1 competition for Croatia. The procedure followed was such that future measures contained in the new Staff Regulations have been applied to Croatia ahead of time. EPSO thus organised an SC competition for Croatia in early 2014, that is to say, after it had become permissible to do so; as a result, none of the Croatian nationals previously recruited under temporary contracts after passing a CAST competition have been able to keep their job or been given a permanent contract.

What will the Commission do to remedy the inequalities in the recruitment of Croats to EU institutions, as illustrated by the case described above?