According to a report released on 27 April, the Commission’s overall recruitment target for the period 2004-2010 was to fill 3,441 officials and temporary staff positions. The first major round of EU-10 competitions in 2004 produced a total of 2,700 laureates. By the beginning of April 2005, the Commission had recruited 1,081 officials and temporary staff from the EU-10 states out of the target of 1,529.
Among the specific problems identified in the recruitment process, the Commission report highlighted:
- the potential shortfall of non-linguistic staff for certain nationalities
- the significant shortfall in the number of laureates produced in comparison with the numbers requested in certain competitions
- the need to speed up the recruitment process in general, and for the non-management and middle management posts in particular
Commission Vice President Siim Kallas said that individual merit remains the main determinant throughout the recruitment process, and that the Commission will continue to monitor progress closely.



