Brussels, 02/02/2011 (Agence Europe) - As we already predicted (EUROPE 10305), at the end of the transition period (31/12/2010), the European Commission has exceeded its targets for recruiting staff from the 10 member states which joined the EU in 2004. The final report adopted on Wednesday 2 February shows that between 1st May 2004 and the end of 2010, the Commission recruited 4,004 officials and temporary agents from the Czech Republic, Cyprus, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Slovakia and Slovenia, well above the ambitious target of 3,508.
Maroš Šefèoviè, the commissioner for inter-institutional relations and administration, said: “Selecting and integrating large numbers of new staff from different countries is a challenge for any organisation. We have not only exceeded our targets, but have also found excellent, committed colleagues and have succeeded in easing them into the organisation, which in turn has given the Commission new energy.”
At senior management level, the Commission has again gone beyond the objectives it set for itself, which was to have at least one national from each of the 10 member states at director-general or deputy director-general level. There was similar success in recruiting directors and heads of unit. Recruitment from the EU10 has also had a positive effect on the gender balance in the Commission, meaning that there were more women than men in the organisation at the end of 2010 and a higher share of women managers than before the 2004 enlargement. The transition period for recruiting officials from Bulgaria and Romania is also progressing well, and runs until the end of 2011.
The 4,000 officials recruited from the 10 new member states represent 16% of Commission officials and temporary agents. Their integration has worked smoothly without major disruption and without stopping recruitment from the other 15 member states. (L.C./transl.fl)