The staff representatives united in a Common Front question the justifications put forward by the Commission and refute the necessity of the reopening of the Staff Regulations.

Nevertheless, they are ready to negotiate with the Commission to at least reduce the most negative aspects of their reform, and in order to safeguard the ability of Institutions to defend the working conditions and the career perspectives of staff as well as to face up to the ad hoc calls from the Council.

The European public service has already undergone the drastic and long-term savings during the reform of 2004.

The economic and budgetary arguments do not seem to us to be the real reasons behind the current reform. The motivation is rather political: it is aimed at reducing the size and capability of European public service.

This new reduction is unjustified for an organization the size of which is already limited, and which is constantly called upon to take on new tasks, skills and responsibilities. For the record, the spending on staff represents less than 3 % of the community budget.

The staff representatives reject the political argument that as the current mechanism for adapting salaries (the so-called « Method « ) is due to expire at the end of 2012, and that the calculations of our pension contributions is due to expire in the middle of 2013, there exists a basis on which to reform other aspects of the Staff Regulations.

Finally, and at the height of the budgetary, financial, economic and social crisis caused by the incapacity of the national and European political decision-makers to regulate financial markets, the Commission has to convince the Member states to strengthen the only tool capable of helping them resolve their difficulties: the European public service.

Indeed, the European public service remains the only body capable of getting Europe to work, and the only entity having the necessary size, skills and legitimacy to bring viable solutions to the crisis affecting many member states. The State of the Union speech given by President Barroso bears witness to the problems, even if the solutions remain to be found.

So, in place of the proposal presented by the College, which would deeply weaken all the Institutions and their staff, the staff representatives propose to the Commission a more effective alternative approach, which allows to protect the capacity for current and future actions of the European public service, and to maximize the use of these resources.

The propositions of the OSP articulate around three priorities:

• invest in the staff
• simplify and improve the administrative structures
• better manage the European policies