Europaudvalget 2023-24
EUU Alm.del Bilag 146
Offentligt
2788197_0001.png
Action Plan on
Geographical Balance
DENMARK
2023
 EUU, Alm.del - 2023-24 - Bilag 146: Brev samt den fælles handlingsplan om øge antallet af danskere i Kommissionen
2788197_0002.png
Table of Contents
1.
Introduction ...................................................................................................... 3
1.1. Developments in 2022.............................................................................................
4
2.
Denmark: challenges and outlook ...................................................................... 4
2.1. Geographical balance snapshot ..............................................................................
4
2.2. Outlook ....................................................................................................................
8
3.
Measures to address underrepresentation ......................................................... 8
3.1. Denmark’s actions and initiatives
...........................................................................
8
3.1.1. Current (updated by Denmark) ...................................................................................
8
3.1.2. Future (updated by Denmark) ...................................................................................
10
3.2. European Commission’s
Measures
.......................................................................
11
3.2.1. Actions aimed at redressing the observed imbalances in the short term, with impact
on long term ........................................................................................................................
11
3.2.2. Actions aimed at addressing the underlying causes of imbalances in the long term
12
3.3. Joint Measures.......................................................................................................
13
4.
Data and performance Indicators ...................................................................... 14
4.1. Data sharing on geographical balance ..................................................................
14
4.2. Action Plan Performance indicators ......................................................................
14
5.
6.
Next steps ........................................................................................................ 16
Annex: Glossary on Staff Grades and Categories................................................ 17
 EUU, Alm.del - 2023-24 - Bilag 146: Brev samt den fælles handlingsplan om øge antallet af danskere i Kommissionen
2788197_0003.png
1. Introduction
In line with the 2018 report on Geographical balance
1
, the new HR strategy
2
“Communication
to the
Commission: A new Human Resources Strategy for the Commission
3
”
highlights the importance of
geographical balance of all staff, which is to be strengthened, and foresees the development of Action
Plans together with under-represented Member States. This Action Plan represents a joint political
commitment by the Member State and the European Commission (Commission) to strengthen
geographical balance, and takes the form of measures to be undertaken by the Member State, by the
Commission as well as joint measures.
As a rule, discrimination based on nationality is prohibited by the Treaties, the Charter of Fundamental
Rights and the Staff Regulations. At the same time, the EU Staff Regulations require that EU institutions
recruit staff from the broadest possible geographical basis.
4
In 2014, the co-legislators introduced a
new legal basis for each institution to adopt appropriate measures where a significant imbalance
between nationalities of Officials is observed and is not justified by objective criteria.
The methodology for defining the objective to be reached has been subject of several communications
5
over time. It has taken the form of guiding rates or reference values, as well as indicative recruitment
targets for enlargements.
6
In its 2018 report on geographical balance
7
, the Commission considers a
significant imbalance is observed if the share of nationals of one or more Member State amongst staff
is lower than 80% of the relevant guiding rate and is focussing on AD staff occupying non-management
functions excluding linguists. The Commission regularly reports on the state of play on presence by
nationality among its staff. Measures have been adopted by EPSO and the Commission when
imbalances were observed. However, these measures have not always provided results in line with
the objective. Under-representation in many staff categories is still observed in several nationalities,
including in the case of Denmark.
More recently, the Commission committed in its HR Strategy that it will prepare specific Action Plans,
together with the Member States concerned, to address this issue and take into account the
specificities of each Member State.
8
In addition, the HR Strategy indicates that, in line with Article 27
1
2
COM(2018)377final/2
C(2022) 2229 final
3
According to the Communication to the Commission:
A new Human Resources Strategy for the Commission,
COM(2022) 2229 final, ’On
geographical balance at all levels, though by law we need to recruit staff on the broadest possible geographical basis from among nationals
of Member States of the Union, there are categories of staff for which certain Member States are currently under-represented.
[…] In 2022,
specific Action Plans will be developed together with these Member States to improve their balance, keeping in mind that by law, no posts
should be reserved for nationals of any specific Member State.’.
4
See in that sense Article 27 of the Staff Regulations and Article 12 of the Conditions of Employment of Other Servants.
5
Commission Communication of Mr Van Miert SEC(1994)844 of 17 May 1994 at the occasion of the accession of Austria, Finland and Sweden;
Communication of Mr Kinnock concerning the recruitment of Commission Officials from the new Member States of 14 February 2003
C(2003)436/5, adopted on 19 February 2003; Communication of Mr Kallas C(2006)5778 concerning the recruitment of Commission Officials
and Temporary Agents from Bulgaria and Romania of 24 November 2006, adopted by Written Procedure on 1 December 2006
(SEC(2006)1574/5); Communication of Vice-President
Šefčovič concerning the recruitment of Commission
Officials and Temporary Agents
from Croatia of 12 July 2012, (SEC(2012)436 final).
6
The indicative recruitment targets refer to nationals from Member States joining the EU on the occasion of enlargements.
7
COM(2018)377final/2
8
According to the Communication to the Commission:
A new Human Resources Strategy for the Commission,
COM(2022) 2229 final, ’On
geographical balance at all levels, though by law we need to recruit staff on the broadest possible geographical basis from among nationals
of Member States of the Union, there are categories of staff for which certain Member States are currently under-represented.
[…] In 2022,
specific Action Plans will be developed together with these Member States to improve their balance, keeping in mind that by law, no posts
should be reserved for nationals of any specific Member State.’.
3
 EUU, Alm.del - 2023-24 - Bilag 146: Brev samt den fælles handlingsplan om øge antallet af danskere i Kommissionen
2788197_0004.png
of the Staff Regulations, the Commission will consider adopting General Implementing Provisions to
enable actions aiming at improving geographical balance.
1.1. Developments in 2022
In order to address geographical imbalances of Denmark (both structurally and in the shorter term),
the Director-General for HR and the Permanent Representative of Denmark agreed on 8 June 2022 to
jointly prepare this Action Plan, based on the specific situation of Denmark. The aim of the Action Plan
is to outline the reasons for Denmark’s low representation, and to
set out measures to be undertaken
by Denmark, the Commission, EPSO, as well as joint measures to increase the number of Danes
working in the Commission. The implementation of some measures has commenced already in 2022,
and the remaining measures will be implemented as soon as possible in 2023. The assessment of the
results will be undertaken in the first quarter of 2024 given the severe and deteriorating situation.
However, in line with the Staff Regulations, all work to address geographical imbalances is to be done
in the context of no posts reserved for nationals of a specific Member State, and merit remains the
primary selection criterion.
2. Denmark: challenges and outlook
2.1. Geographical balance snapshot as per 31/12/2022
Denmark’s
presence is below 80% of
its guiding rate
9
, among the overall non-linguist AD staff
(including management)
10
as well as at AD5-AD8 level (Figure 1), i.e. only at 67% and at 34% of the
guiding rate respectively (Figure 1). Since 2016, the non-linguist AD staff (non-management) has
been declining, and the AD5-AD8 staff has been on a stably low level (Figure 2). On the other hand,
Denmark is at least at the level of 100% of the guiding rate
11
regarding Middle and Senior
Management. The trended presence of non-permanent positions is depicted in Figure 3. The same
figure also shows that Denmark is below 80% of the guiding rate at the level of Temporary Agents
and Contract Agents FGIV. Participation by Danish in EPSO competitions is lower than the expected
percentage relative to its population. The pass rate is below average adding to a Danish under-
representation at entry levels (“pipeline problem”).
Denmark is above the guiding rate in the case of
SNE-positions.
9
In its 2018 report on geographical balance, the Commission considers a significant imbalance is observed if the share of nationals of one or
more Member State amongst staff is lower than 80% of the relevant guiding rate and is focussing on AD staff occupying non-management
functions excluding linguists.
10
According to the Report from the Commission to the European Parliament and the Council pursuant to Article 27 of the Staff Regulations
of Officials and to Article 12 of the Conditions of Employment of Other Servants of the European Union (Geographical balance (COM(2018)
377 final/2), only the distribution of staff occupying non-management functions is considered. The report excluded management staff from
its scope and the guiding rates defined for non-management staff are not therefore directly applicable. Indeed, the only relevant legal basis
referring to geographical balance in management staff in the Commission, the Compilation Document on Senior Officials Policy (SEC(2004)
1352) only refers to functions of Director-General or equivalent (i.e. Deputy Director-General or Hors Classe Adviser) stating that the
Commission considers it a desirable objective that each nationality should hold at least one function corresponding to the basic post of
Director-General.
11
Ibid.
4
 EUU, Alm.del - 2023-24 - Bilag 146: Brev samt den fælles handlingsplan om øge antallet af danskere i Kommissionen
2788197_0005.png
Detailed analysis:
With a guiding rate of
1.8%,
80% of the guiding rate for Danish nationals
12
corresponds to 1,4%:
•
•
•
•
•
Below 80% of the guiding rate among all Commission staff overall (1.3%) and at the level of
AD non-linguists (including management) (1.2%). Regarding the population of all ADs, 8.1%
are Temporary Agents.
Below 80% of the guiding rate among AD5-8 non-linguists (0.6%), of which 35.7% are
Temporary Agents.
At 80% of the guiding rate at AD9-14 non-management grades (1.4%) .
Above the guiding rate at Middle Management level (1.9%) and at Senior Management level
(3.1%).
Denmark is above the guiding rate in the case of SNE positions (4.3%.) which underlines the
fact that Denmark for the past decade has worked on increasing Danish representation at the
Commission, including by dedicating a substantial amount of resources to finance for SNEs and
NEPTs.
12
This Action Plan concerns EU-27 nationalities and guiding rates without the UK from the Geographical Balance Report COM(2018) 377
final/2. Managers that changed their first nationality from British to one of the EU-27 nationalities after 29/3/2017 are considered to have
kept their British nationality in line with section 2, 1.2.2.1 of the Report.
5
 EUU, Alm.del - 2023-24 - Bilag 146: Brev samt den fælles handlingsplan om øge antallet af danskere i Kommissionen
2788197_0006.png
Figure 1.
Danish presence of permanent staff (including Temporary Agents) at the EC on
December 31, 2022
In its 2018 report on geographical balance, the Commission considers a significant imbalance is observed if the
share of nationals of one or more Member State amongst staff is lower than 80% of the relevant guiding rate
and is focussing on AD staff occupying non-management functions excluding linguists.
Administrators: 1,2%
AD5-AD8 (Officials and
Temporary agents): 0,6%
Senior management*: 3,1%
AD5-AD8 Officials: 0,5%
Middle management**:
1,9%
Presence
Guiding Rate: 1,8%
80% of Guiding Rate
*Includes Directors-General, Deputy Directors-General, Hors Classe Advisors, Directors and Principal
Advisors. **Includes Heads of Unit, Heads of Departments, Heads of Task Forces.
Figure 2.
Danish trended presence of All AD (non-management), All AD5-AD8, Temporary
Agent as % of guiding rate
120%
100%
80%
60%
40%
20%
0%
31-12-16
31-12-17
31-12-18
31-12-19
31-12-20
31-12-21
All AD (non-mgmt)
31-12-22
59%
52%
34%
Guiding Rate: 1,8%
All AD5-AD8
80% of Guiding Rate
Temporary Agents
6
 EUU, Alm.del - 2023-24 - Bilag 146: Brev samt den fælles handlingsplan om øge antallet af danskere i Kommissionen
2788197_0007.png
Figure 3.
Factors influencing Danish presence at the EC
A)
Non-permanent Staff of Danish nationality, is below the 80% of the guiding rate for
Temporary Agents and Contract Agents (FGIV), and is above 80% of the guiding rate for SNEs and
Blue Books . Together with external candidates, they have access to EPSO (external) competitions
that could lead to permanent contracts (Officials AD5-AD8) where Denmark is below 80% of the
guiding rate. In addition, Temporary Agents and Contract Agents are eligible to internal competitions.
Although Seconded National Experts (SNEs) do not fall within the parameters of the Staff
Regulations, the Commission takes them into account as a relevant entry point for permanent
positions, with potentially significant impact on overall representation of a particular Member
State.
13
B)
Participation in EPSO AD competitions of Danish candidates initiated between 2015 and 2021
is below the expected rate based on the size of the population.
C)
The pass rate of EPSO AD competitions initiated between 2015 and 2021 (13 laureates for
Denmark) is lower than the EU average.
14
The results from measures targeting EPSO competitions will
depend on the frequency of these competitions.
13
Across the Commission, 74% of SNEs are funded jointly by the Commission and the Member State (so called, “shared cost” SNEs)
whereas
26% are paid in full by the Member State (“cost-free” SNEs).
14
The indicated EPSO participation-and success rate refers to an aggregated average of all AD competitions initiated between 2015-2021.
7
 EUU, Alm.del - 2023-24 - Bilag 146: Brev samt den fælles handlingsplan om øge antallet af danskere i Kommissionen
2788197_0008.png
2.2. Outlook
Finally, the picture should also be interpreted in light of two additional elements:
•
A significant share of Danes (21% (i.e. approximately 38) of current AD staff of Danish
nationality compared to 12% for EU-27 average) is set to retire from the Commission between
2023 and 2026 (“cliff edge” effect), which
would increase the under-representation further if
recruitments do not compensate for departures. The Commission will therefore follow carefully
inflow and outflow trends;
•
Lengthy and complex EPSO competitions resulting in reduced attractiveness of EU careers. The
new EPSO Competition framework has been adopted at the end of January 2023 and is aimed
at shortening and simplifying selection procedures down to 6 months.
•
The fact that the Danish guiding rate (1.8%), following the set formula, is almost 50% higher than
the share of its population (1.3%), renders the target more challenging.
3. Measures to address underrepresentation
3.1.
Denmark’s actions and initiatives
3.1.1.
Current (updated by Denmark)
For more than a decade, Denmark has nationally and in co-operation with the Commission and EPSO
been working on promoting and increasing the Danish representation at the Commission. The effort
has been centred around two Action Plans, the first from 2013 and the latest from 2017.
The first Action Plan was made on the basis of recommendations of the work of the Fischer Boel
committee. The committee had a broad public representation, including social partners,
representatives from the government, EPSO ambassadors and was chaired by Mariann Fischer Boel,
the former Danish Commissioner from 2004 to 2010. The committee made an analysis of the
challenges causing the decline in the Danish representation at the EU-institutions, which is included in
Annex 1. The report included 27 recommendations on how to address the declining representation,
including more and targeted information on the EPSO competitions and providing training to Danes
given the lack of experience amongst Danes with this type of tests. As a follow up to this report, the
Danish government has since then posted an attaché to the Permanent Representation to the EU in
Brussels dedicated to provide information and share good practise amongst Danes.
The latest Danish national Action Plan of 2017 builds on the experience from previous national Action
Plan and includes a large set of measures aimed at professionals in the Danish central administration,
Danes living in Brussels, and students at relevant higher educations as well as recent graduates. The
initiatives include:
•
•
•
•
national Action Plan to increase the focus on EU career for Danes;
increasing the number of SNEs in EU institutions by increasing the funding by more
than 60% since 2017;
active use and promotion of the National Expert in Professional Training (NEPT)
programme;
launching targeted information campaigns via digital and online tools on admission
tests, job postings, EU
career paths and competence
8
 EUU, Alm.del - 2023-24 - Bilag 146: Brev samt den fælles handlingsplan om øge antallet af danskere i Kommissionen
2788197_0009.png
development. This campaign was directed at relevant personnel groups in and outside
of government departments as well as Danes living in Brussels;
•
•
•
doubling the number of public-funded scholarships at the College of Europe (from four
to eight per year);
increasing the number of Danes admitted to the Junior Professionals in EU Delegations
Programme 2017-2019 and 2021-2023;
facilitating a mentoring scheme (i.e. ‘staff ambassadors’ network) for Danes living in
Brussels who are interested
in an EU career and offering individual counselling on ‘EU
Careers’;
ensuring accreditation and recognition of international experience, including periods
of employment in the EU. A model for systematically increasing the focus on the merits
gained with international experience and ensure a better connection to when posted
abroad. The aim is to ensure, that a posting becomes a steppingstone in once carer
with the civil administration, notably in terms of securing promotions. This includes
that government departments accredit and recognise EU experience in connection
with recruitment and return to Denmark after a posting abroad;
establishing a new professional Master’s degree in conference interpreting at Aarhus
University.
•
•
Assessment
The significant Danish underrepresentation in the EU-institutions is a result of several structural
factors. First and foremost,
there is no tradition and therefore no experience with ‘concours’-type
entry examinations in order to apply for positions in the central administration or elsewhere in the
Danish labour market. According to a recent EPSO survey (2020), the top deterrent for Danes is the
lengthy and complex selection procedure, resulting in lower participation in the EPSO competitions,
the perceived quality of life in Brussels and the costs of moving to another country, including a
potential lack of job opportunities for partners. Further deterrents include the format of the EPSO
competitions, which varies greatly from typical Danish examinations. This can be perceived as an extra
layer of challenge to those wanting to take the test, and thus may deter some from considering the
EPSO competition in the first place. In addition, other deterrents include low awareness of the job
opportunities in the Commission,
and the impacts of expatriation on a person’s family, such as job
opportunities for partners. This has been underlined in recent research studies, which also points to
the lack of experience with ‘EPSO competition’-related
examinations for northern Member States,
including Denmark, as a key reason for the low representation
15
, underscoring a potential and a
structural problem in some countries, including Denmark.
For more than a decade, Danish governments have worked actively on promoting EU careers
and increasing the number of Danes working in the Commission through the initiatives
described above. To ensure that these initiatives have been properly tailored, regular
quantitative and qualitative evaluations, including surveys and interviews, have been carried out
16
, in
addition to the initial work carried out in 2013, resulting in a national action plan being published in
2017 (Annex 2). Denmark has deployed considerable national means available in order to increase the
15
Carolyn Ban, 2010: Reforming the staffing process in the European Union institutions: moving the sacred cow out of the road, page 10-13,
International Review of Administrative Sciences
16
The strategy was revised in 2017 after an internal governmental evaluation. The revised Action Plan can be found here
https://fm.dk/media/14716/HandlingsplanforfremmeafdanskereiEU_web.pdf
9
 EUU, Alm.del - 2023-24 - Bilag 146: Brev samt den fælles handlingsplan om øge antallet af danskere i Kommissionen
2788197_0010.png
number of Danes working in the Commission. While the initiatives have been successful in increasing
the number of Danish SNEs as well as the number of Blue Book Trainees, they have not proven
sufficient to counter the ongoing and significant decrease in the number of Danes working in the
Commission, especially at the AD5-8 level. The latest revised strategy from 2017 includes increased
focus on posting SNE’s to the Commission with a goal of having
up to
100 SNE’s in 2026
–
more than
doubling the number of 2017. The increased focus has, as shown in Annex 3 until now had a noticeable
effect by increasing the number of SNEs from around 50 in the years prior to the revised strategy, to
around 70 in 2022, having experienced a decrease during the COVID-19 pandemic. The numbers clearly
indicate the focus and commitment of the Danish government in the past years to actively working on
increasing the number of Danes in the Commission.
In a recent survey from 2020 amongst the Danish SNE’s, 51 pct. reported
that doing their posting at
the Commission, they would be interested in taking the EPSO competition. As for the other half,
especially the low success rate and the lengthy and administratively heavy process was highlighted as
the main causes for not pursuing a permanent employment at the Commission (see Annex 3).
Given how many Danes are set to leave the Commission in the coming years, it is clear that new and
more targeted measures must be undertaken to counter the critical development. These targeted
measures in tandem with the Commission measures and joint measures form the basis of this Action
Plan. The impact of this joint Action Plan will be assessed in the first quarter of 2024 based on the
latest available data.
3.1.2.
Future
•
The National Action Plan has undergone an evaluation. On this basis, the implementation of
the National Action Plan within the Danish government will be updated and amended as
needed in order to ensure it is as effective as possible. As part of the National Action Plan,
Denmark is actively working towards increasing the number of Danish SNEs from 38 up to 100
by 2026.
The Danish government will continue to provide information and traning to Danish civil
servants that are interested in taking the EPSO competition.
Maintain the financing of Danish positions in the Junior Professionals in Delegations
programme.
17
Continue the targeted information campaign together with EPSO about upcoming EPSO
competitions.
Funded part of the cost for the enrolment in the Master’s degree in translation.
The Danish government will, on a temporary basis, increase the number of professionals in the
central administration posted to Brussels, especially at the permanent representation, as
preparation for the upcoming Danish EU presidency in 2025. The government will take action
to encourage these professionals to continue their career in the Commission.
•
•
•
•
•
17
One Junior Professionals in Delegation (JPD) per Member State for the Commission and one JPD per Member State for the European
External Action Service (EEAS). In addition, Member States can offer to finance additional JPDs assigned to one Institution or the other
depending of their priorities. Joint Decision JOIN(2012)17 of 12.06.2012 of the Commission and the High Representative of the EEAS
establishing a High Level traineeship Programme in the Delegations in partnership with the Member States as amended. The programme is
under the overall management of the EEAS and implemented with the Commission. Trainees are assigned to both the EEAS and the
Commission that are responsible for the selection procedure of their respective JPD.
10
 EUU, Alm.del - 2023-24 - Bilag 146: Brev samt den fælles handlingsplan om øge antallet af danskere i Kommissionen
2788197_0011.png
3.2.
European Commission’s Measures
To strengthen geographical balance, the Commission will adopt measures considering the specificities
of Denmark.
3.2.1.
Actions aimed at redressing the observed imbalances in the short
term, with impact on long term
In the short-term, actions aimed at improving geographical balance will mainly consist of promoting
underrepresented nationals in the recruitment of non-permanent staff as statistics show that a
significant part of successful candidates in internal and external competitions belong to these
categories.
Actions focussing on recruitment of non-permanent, non-linguistic, AD level staff (which are valid both
for the short and the longer term):
•
DG HR launched in September a pilot project aiming to increase the share of Temporary Agents
(TA) from under-represented Member States. DG HR is currently working with DGs to see how
to increase the visibility of job vacancies, possibly yielding more applications from these
Member States. The take-up of this initiative would need to be assessed before full roll-out,
also in view of new IT solutions to handle large number of applicants. Commission DGs will be
asked to
interview at least one candidate
from under-represented Member States when
organising the selection of non-permanent staff as of September 2022.
o
These actions are expected to produce a short-term effect and longer-term effect, e.g.,
by organizing internal competitions, allowing the most successful non-permanent staff
to be recruited as Officials. In this sense, the Commission ensured a greater
predictability for this internal track by publishing a calendar for internal competitions
until 2024.
•
The Commission is currently reviewing its decision on the use of
Temporary Staff
(to be
adopted before the end of 2023), aiming for external publication of these posts to increase
visibility (centralisation of publications on one webpage, together with the possibility to
publish on other platforms).
The Commission will work on increasing the visibility of
publications of non-permanent
positions
and will collaborate with Member State administrations on how best to reach the
desired recipients in the Member State concerned. The Commission will make efforts to
promote the publication of EU non-permanent job offers on a single webpage as a point of
entry when looking for any type of position in the EU institutions.
In parallel, DG HR is preparing the
General Implementing Provisions
(GIPs), which will allow
the adoption of appropriate measures to tackle geographical imbalances (including
competitions by nationality) if required. The HR Strategy indicates that nationality based open
competitions will be used, where appropriate and in line with EU law, following an analysis of
the impact of Action Plans for underrepresented Member States. Whilst nationality-based
open competitions are mentioned as possible appropriate measures under certain
circumstances
18
, it needs to be ensured that they comply with Article 27 of the Staff
•
•
18
Those appropriate measures must be justified and shall never result in recruitment criteria other than those based on merit. Before such
appropriate measures are adopted, the appointing authority of the institution concerned shall adopt general provisions for giving effect to
this paragraph in accordance with Article 110.
11
 EUU, Alm.del - 2023-24 - Bilag 146: Brev samt den fælles handlingsplan om øge antallet af danskere i Kommissionen
2788197_0012.png
Regulations.
•
The
Blue Book traineeships
(BBT) are also a key entry point to the Commission. DG HR and DG
EAC agreed to apply as of 2023 the Member States’
guiding rates
and to replace the current
geographical quotas to improve the geographical balance of the Virtual Blue Book trainees. All
trainees already receive introductory training for EU Careers in general and positions as
Contract Agents, AD5 and Junior Professionals Programme (JPP) in particular. For the October
2022 BBT campaign, a top up was used to improve the ratio of nationals from
underrepresented Member States and has already brought positive results.
The Commission should share regular data on the number of applications for the Junior
Professionals programme (JPP).
The Commission Permanent Representation continues to promote EU careers, and support
candidates e.g. this includes a careers’ event for final year university students (March 2023), a
revision of its web pages in the Danish language, and publishing an article explaining the
variety in EU careers in a major Danish newspaper. In 2023 the Representation will participate
in the EU Careers’ event organized by the Danish Parliament targeting experienced civil
servants and in house government trainees, will plan a social media campaign with the goal of
demystifying EU careers, will launch the “Back to School” programme, and will provide
updated materials in the Danish language.
•
•
3.2.2.
Actions aimed at addressing the underlying causes of imbalances in
the long term
Actions aiming at addressing the underlying causes of imbalances in the long term include, among
others, communication, outreach, and targeted training
•
External competitions:
The main measures in the EPSO Action Plan include:
o
a newly approved competition model focusing on reducing the duration of external
competitions to 6 months, from publication of the notices of competition to
publication of the reserve lists;
o
terminating the use of the Assessment Centre (oral tests) and using only written tests
in the selection procedures;
o
creating a single-window review mechanism;
o
pre-publishing information materials for the EU knowledge test (used only for
generalist AD and AST competitions);
o
possibly introducing a digital skills test for some competitions, in line with the needs
of EPSO’s institutional clients;
o
universal use of remotely proctored tests;
o
reasoning tests organised on a pass/fail basis (not ranked);
o
multilingual competitions with some testing in one specific language, in line with the
needs of EPSO’s institutional clients.
Moreover, EPSO will continue to publish information on competitions in due time and will
strive to enhance communication with successful candidates on its reserve lists. EPSO will
also continue to provide targeted information on working and living conditions in Brussels
12
 EUU, Alm.del - 2023-24 - Bilag 146: Brev samt den fælles handlingsplan om øge antallet af danskere i Kommissionen
2788197_0013.png
and Luxembourg, including by providing relevant statistics and video staff testimonials.
EPSO will continue to produce webinars for Member States EU Careers experts, public
video tutorials, public online landing pages and infographics (in all 24 languages), as well
as social media posts and ads for each competition. EPSO’s new website (June 2022) will
remain the main information hub for external competitions.
•
Outreach:
If requested by Denmark, the Commission will actively mobilise available resources
in the Commission’s Representation in Denmark to participate in outreach, public events and
spread targeted communications materials emphasising the opportunities Denmark EU
careers offer (value-based jobs, variety of policy fields, possibility to be hosted in other
Member States or in third countries outside EU, etc).
Management:
The Commission will continue to work on identification of talent for managerial
functions and support those Officials who aspire to Middle Management and Senior
Management, also targeting Officials coming from under-represented Member States. This
includes tailored development programmes for aspiring Middle Managers and Senior
Managers, and other support measures. For aspiring Senior Managers, this is in the form of
individual coaching sessions, and for aspiring Middle Managers it is in the form of different
learning experiences that include coaching, mentoring and career guidance.
•
3.3. Joint Measures
•
•
•
•
The national Action Plan is currently under evaluation. On this basis, the strategy will be
updated and amended as needed in order to ensure it is as effective as possible.
Increase the number of Danish NEPT positions, starting in 2023.
Meetings with higher education career counsellors’ network.
On the basis of positive experience with the first pilot-course a permanent educational course
on EU Careers, in collaboration with the Commission, may be considered. The course would
be repeated on a yearly basis and is open for all students and graduates from Danish
universities with a minimum of a bachelor’s degree. The participants would be introduced to
the concours, Blue Book Traineeship, JPP and Junior Professionals in an EU Delegation,
Contract Agent positions, as well as how they can utilise key resources in EPSO and the Danish
Permanent Representation in Brussels. The purpose is to bridge the knowledge gap in an
effective manner, as well as build up knowledge in the Danish university sector on all key areas
of EU-careers. The Commission will assist Denmark with technical advice on the content and
with participation of speakers (if available) to bring testimonies on EU careers.
Create a career path for
young professionals
within the Danish civil service for EU specialists,
by helping them applying for posts in the EU Institutions. The creation of an EU career path of
Officials within the civil service would provide a supply of Danish candidates qualified to sit the
EPSO competition, while also meeting the needs for highly skilled Officials. Officials are given
training in EU policies, languages, professional development, and assisted with intensive
preparation for EU competitions. Those recruited to the stream would also be assigned to
posts with a focus on EU across the civil service.
Ensure that Denmark is informed about updates on recruitment procedures. The Commission
aims to share the information material (infographics, publications etc.) so the Capital can
disseminate this information. An open line of communication should be kept between the
Commission and Denmark.
13
•
•
 EUU, Alm.del - 2023-24 - Bilag 146: Brev samt den fælles handlingsplan om øge antallet af danskere i Kommissionen
2788197_0014.png
•
Finally, it is also important to do everything to reach potential candidates who have not
traditionally seen a career for themselves in the EU institutions. This could include qualified
candidates from lower socioeconomic backgrounds, from outside the main universities and
centres of population, candidates with disabilities or with an ethnic minority background.
These groups are currently underrepresented among Commission staff and reaching out to
them could be a way of both increasing the talent pool and increasing diversity among
Commission staff
.
4. Data and performance Indicators
4.1. Data sharing on geographical balance
The Commission is conscious that Member States need to be regularly informed on the development
of the situation regarding geographical balance. The Commission 2018 report on geographical balance
was a one-off exercise (as foreseen by the Staff Regulations). The Commission committed however to
present
data on staff geographical balance to the Working Party on Staff Regulations (WPSR) once a
year.
In addition, the Commission will continue to provide
comprehensive statistics at regular intervals
through different channels: via the Europa website (HR statistics and Statistical Bulletin); three times
a year directly to Permanent Representations (full staff listings); and via regular updates to the WPSR
on geographical balance.
4.2. Action Plan Performance indicators
The measures implemented by Denmark and the Commission will be assessed in the first quarter of
2024 based on data from 31 December 2023 according to the following indicators (non-exhaustive
list). The baseline used is the 31 December 2021:
Output indicators
(they relate to implemented operations/measures by measuring what is directly
produced/supplied):
•
Indicators related to promotional and communication activities to be developed based on
the design/setup of the measure and internal capacities to collect the data:
o
Number of persons reached by information campaigns via digital and online tools on
admission tests, jobs postings, EU career paths, competence development, JPD
19
and
NEPT programme
19
One Junior Professionals in Delegation (JPD) per Member State for the Commission and one JPD per Member State for the European
External Action Service (EEAS). In addition, Member States can offer to finance additional JPDs assigned to one Institution or the other
depending of their priorities. Joint Decision JOIN(2012)17 of 12.06.2012 of the Commission and the High Representative of the EEAS
establishing a High Level traineeship Programme in the Delegations in partnership with the Member States as amended. The programme is
under the overall management of the EEAS and implemented with the Commission. Trainees are assigned to both the EEAS and the
Commission that are responsible for the selection procedure of their respective JPD.
14
 EUU, Alm.del - 2023-24 - Bilag 146: Brev samt den fælles handlingsplan om øge antallet af danskere i Kommissionen
2788197_0015.png
o
o
o
Number of EU career events
Number of people completing new professional master's degree in conference
interpreting at Aarhus University
Number of scholarships at the College of Europe
o
Number of EU Careers Student Ambassadors
o
Number of EU Careers Staff Ambassadors
Result indicators
(they capture the expected effects on participants or entities brought about by an
operation/measure):
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Number of applicants to the Blue Book Traineeship programme and number of trainees who
start the traineeship;
Number of Blue Book Trainees who become Commission staff;
Number of successful candidates on the Junior Professionals Programme (JPP);
Share of Temporary Agents and FGIV Contract Agents;
Number of non-permanent staff and number of external candidates who become Contract
Agents FGIV, AD5-AD8 Temporary Agents or AD5-AD8 Officials;
Share of administrators across various grades, focusing on AD5-AD8 Officials;
Participation and success rate at EPSO competitions;
Number of SNEs;
Number of SNEs becoming Contract Agents FGIV, AD5-AD8 Temporary Agents or AD5-AD8
Officials;
Number of Danes participating in NEPT programme;
15
 EUU, Alm.del - 2023-24 - Bilag 146: Brev samt den fælles handlingsplan om øge antallet af danskere i Kommissionen
2788197_0016.png
5. Next steps
2022..
2023..
2024..
Assessment…
2025..
Follow-up...
Drafting Action Plan…Implementation…
As per the HR Strategy, the Commission, has committed to improve geographical balance by meeting
all Member States and drafting joint Action Plans for those that are under- represented in entry grade
categories of staff.
These Action Plans are not to be seen as “a one-off reporting” but rather as a
continuous, dynamic process made jointly by the Commission and the concerned Member State.
The implementation of the soft measures in the joint Action Plans will be carried out during 2023.
Based on the collected data on output and results indicators, the Commission will jointly with the
Member State make an assessment of the impact of these measures in the first quarter of 2024
20
.
Based on the jointly reached conclusions from the assessment, it will be discussed whether to include
further measures in addition to those already listed in this joint Action Plan. In addition, an annual
follow-up of the statistics in the Working Party on Staff Regulations is foreseen as well as regular
monitoring of geographical balance and continuation of a dialogue with the Member States.
The Commission encourages Member States to share their best practices. Synergies can be achieved
by launching joint actions in Brussels, including the joint job fairs, and organizing communication and
outreach events to promote EU Careers wherein the Commission and other EU Institutions could
participate.
20
The assessment will be based on measures starting from the 1st of January 2022.
16
 EUU, Alm.del - 2023-24 - Bilag 146: Brev samt den fælles handlingsplan om øge antallet af danskere i Kommissionen
2788197_0017.png
6. Annex: Glossary on Staff Grades and Categories
Administrator:
This percentage includes staff between AD5-AD16. It includes managers and
Temporary Agents. It excludes linguists.
AD5-AD8 Officials:
This percentage includes AD5-AD8 Officials. It excludes linguists and Temporary
Agents.
All Commission staff:
This percentages includes all ADs, ASTs and AST-SCs in the Commission. It
includes linguists and Temporary Agents.
Average EPSO Pass Rate:
This
percentage shows the country’s EPSO AD Competition pass rate in
comparison to the average EU-27 pass rate (
1,5
%) for competitions initiated between 2015 and 2021.
Blue Book Trainees (BBT):
Twice a year, the Commission offers 5-month paid traineeships. The
traineeships begin in March or October. This percentage includes both sessions per year.
Contract Agents (CA):
Contract staff are employed for a limited period, with an initial contract of 6-12
months which can be renewed for up to 6 years. This percentage only includes Contract Agents FG IV.
Guiding Rate:
It is used to measure and determine whether an EU Member States is underrepresented
or not according to Article 27 of the EU Staff regulation. It is calculated on the basis of: 1) population
2) number of seats in the European Parliament and 3) voting rules in the Council. A country is
considered to be under-represented if there is a deviation of at least -20% from the guiding rate. It
does not set indicative targets for future recruitments of certain nationalities.
Indicative recruitment targets:
set by the Commission for the recruitment of Officials and Temporary
Agents in the context of enlargement after 2003 by considering the relative weight of each new
Member State. They do not set indicative targets for future recruitments of certain nationalities.
Junior Professional Programme (JPP):
This percentage includes selected Junior Professionals (up to 50
in total per year). The JPP is targeted at Blue Book Trainees, CAST Contract Agents and Temporary
Agents with less than 3 years of work experience. It gives them the opportunity to participate in
internal competitions to become EU Officials at the end of the programme.
Middle Management:
This percentage includes Heads of Unit, Heads of Departments and Heads of
Task Forces.
Participation at EPSO Competition:
The participation rate shows the country’s share of participation
in EPSO AD competitions initiated between 2015 and 2021 compared to the share of its population
among the EU-27.
Seconded National Experts (SNE):
This percentage includes national or international civil servants who
are working temporarily for the Commission but remain in the service of their national employer.
Senior Management:
This percentage includes Directors-General, Deputy Directors-General, Hors
Classe Advisors, Directors and Principal Advisors.
Temporary Agents (TA):
Temporary Agents can perform specific tasks as an Administrator on a
temporary basis. The maximum duration of the initial contract is four years. The contract can be
renewed once for a maximum duration of two years.
 EUU, Alm.del - 2023-24 - Bilag 146: Brev samt den fælles handlingsplan om øge antallet af danskere i Kommissionen
2788197_0018.png