These nominations are linked to innumerable, and excessively long, restructuring exercises that have left several colleagues at all levels without clear responsibilities. On the musical chairs model employed last October for Grade A1 officials, several Directors General have rotated as Heads of Unit and Directors. And thanks to the enormous powers allocated to them by MAP 2000, they have been manipulating services while simultaneously flouting all competition procedures, showing no concern for transparency, and sometimes acting against the will of those concerned.

Unauthorised outsourcing and privatisation are also on the agenda, but there is no intention of saving tasks that should strictly remain within the remit of the European public service so as to avoid the sideslipping that has worked to the disadvantage of European citizens.

What is more, the Consultative Committee for Nominations – the body that proposes nominations for management-level posts and on which staff representatives have no seat – far too often accepts candidates that have been ‘recommended’ by governments in certain capitals (see our leaflets on nominations decided a long time in advance in non-institutional bodies and without any objective position being adopted by the CCN).

In these circumstances, it would appear that the criterion of competence falls way behind other criteria such as nationality. There may well be constant references to merit in documents relating to the Kinnock reform, but competence does not appear to be a decisive factor. Frequently, the outcome is that the Commission loses out on competence to the member states. In fact, it’s the same old story all over again. Once more, we see that our great reformer actually has retained a clear preference for the methods of the past – methods that remove competence and independence from the European public service.

In the circumstances, who is going to believe that the Commission really wants to improve its performance, and remedy the crisis of confidence from which it is currently suffering?

Who actually gains from destabilising and demotivating staff like this?

• The process of proposing nominations to the Commission needs to be brought under control: arbitrary restructuring exercises must cease, and the MAP 2000 scheme that permits them must be withdrawn;
• a regular flow of management mobility must be established through transparent and equitable selection procedures;
• the CCN must not remain inactive, and must support decisions taken elsewhere.

The Executive Committee

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