Brussels, 28/02/2001 (Agence Europe) - "We want to be a good employer with a staff that can reach the highest degree of professionalism", said the president of the European Commission as he presented to Parliament the package of guidelines for reform in recruitment, careers and retirement, adopted on Wednesday by the College. "We must reform outdated rules to meet the challenges facing Europe", Romano Prodi also stressed, to show that reform is not an end in itself. However, while the trade unions express considerable concern (see below), a large part of President Prod's speech, like that of the vice-president responsible for administrative reform, served to stress that reform is for the good of the staff. "We want to guarantee salary and retirement levels that are necessary for a top level independent public service; to receive working conditions so that the staff works to the best of its abilities and to have merit recognised; to set in place a more modern career structure and increase the responsibility and the recognition of merit (…). Our aim is to enhance the energy and the qualifications of our staff", stressed President Prodi.
Neil Kinnock also spoke of the aim of strengthening the performance and the independence of the Institution, before going on to thank the staff responsible for reform and insist on the ability of the personnel to adjust to change, which is something that should be welcomed and which runs counter to the usual way eurocrats are caricatured.
The vice-president then presented the main lines of reform to the MEPs: - careers which first of all depend on ability and performance: several models are on the table, the idea being to set a "more linear" structure in place with promotion no longer essentially based on seniority and on competitions. The Commission plans to set in place annual assessment for each official, in relation to the targets set for that official. The attribution of "merit points" would depend on this assessment as would promotion; - working conditions that resemble more those of national administrations, with parental leave, part-time work … Where necessary, there should be reform of spending (reimbursement of transport costs …) which are no longer justified, in order to step up those that are justified; - increased training budget. The offer of training would be multiplied by five in five years; - the Commission hopes to encourage the mobility of officials; - the Commission plans to guarantee the actuarial balance of spending; - rationalised recruitment better adapted to needs. While maintaining the principle of recruitment in the context of general open competitions, the Commission hopes to make its recruitment procedures more effective, we read in the press release that accompanies the adoption of the different consultation documents by the Commission. The Commission above all wants to work towards the creation of an interinstitutional recruitment office.
Consultations on the basis of these documents will last until mid-July. Then, the Commission will rapidly adopt decisions that come within its sphere of competence. The implementation of such decisions should begin at the end of the year. The Commission, moreover, will make legislative proposals to the EP and to the Council (for careers, retirement schemes …). For these measures, the Commissioner provides for implementation for early 2003. Furthermore, the vice-president gave his assurance that the administrative expenses would remain within the limit set by the financial perspectives.
Towards broader trade union consultation
Serious and detailed negotiations will be initiated with staff representatives, as well as broad consultation with the personnel as a whole, assured Mr Kinnock, before specifying that, as has already been shown, this is being taken into account.
On the trade union side, on the other hand, emphasis is placed on the bad experience of the fait accompli method without any true negotiation, so far used by Neil Kinnock, on the follow-up to events. Nonetheless, and for the very first time appreciated by the trade unions, the College as a whole received staff representatives at the beginning of the meeting, for a long discussion that lasted almost three hours. "It was an interesting meeting", stressed one trade union representative.
It demonstrated that the Commission as a whole backed the proposal of its Vice-President, and enabled trade unions to point out their objections. The attitude of the trade unions, and the proposals for the general assembly of the staff to be held Friday afternoon will depend, sources at the Union Syndicale state, on a agreement that President Prodi was said to have made at the end of the meeting, but that was then denied by his entourage, this trade unionist explained. Romano Prodi is said to have agreed to one of the trade union demands, which was the setting up of a working group between the different Commissioners responsible for reforming the trade unions. "If we secure negotiations, there will be no strike, otherwise it's a fight", trade union sources tell us. And yet, it seems that, although the Commission is not against there being informal meetings between Commissioners and trade unions, the structures of the talks - with Commissioner Kinnock and his team - will not change, no more than it could be a question of beginning all over again, whereas the reform was launched a year ago.
Prodi and Kinnock respond to MEPs who doubt the effectiveness of the reform
"It's clear that, this year, we have created insecurity, by launching an in-depth administrative reform," said President Prodi in answer to MEPs who were questioning him Wednesday afternoon, at the same time as Vice-President Kinnock, on the effects of the reform. Some Euro-MPs, like Austrian Social-Democrat Johannes Swoboda, cast doubt on the motivation of European officials, and Mr. Kinnock told them that a majority of the latter were "highly motivated", even if, as in all administrations, there were also malcontents in the European Commission. Mr. Kinnock wanted to denounce those who systematically discredited European officials. The reforms being proposed will not change much, said Dutch Socialist Michiel van Hulten, whereas Dutch Christian-Democrat Ms. Maij-Weggen exclaimed: "we are here given the impression that Commission officials need helping, whereas they earn more than our ministers or even our prime ministers.