Tag: recruitment

Candidates for positions in the EU institutions are primarily being tested for ability and potential, rather than specialised knowledge, under the new system launched by the European Personnel Selection Office (EPSO), Carmen Peter, a Brussels-based executive coach and trainer, told EurActiv in an interview.

Specialised knowledge of the European Union will no longer be the main focus of tests to recruit EU officials under new guidelines to come into force next year, EurActiv has learned, as the bloc's institutions seek to attract the best talent to Brussels.

Appointments to the EU institutions are set to become more transparent after the European Personnel Selection Office (EPSO) agreed to disclose its evaluation criteria and provide applicants with breakdowns of individual marks.

Appointments to the EU institutions will focus more on the personal and professional competences of candidates rather than detailed EU knowledge, David Bearfield, the director of the European Personnel Selection Office (EPSO), told journalists last week (18 July).

In an exclusive interview with EurActiv, Commissioner Kinnock highlights the good governance practices which the EU has been putting in place in time for a major enlargement recruitment drive.

A Commission Communication, to be published in February 2003, will propose the hiring of approximately 3.400 permanent civil servants in the period 2004-2008. The Commission has already been given the green light to recruit 500 temporary staff in 2003.