European institutions

Which institutions?

The following is a list of the European Institutions, according to article 13 of the European Union Treaty:

• The European Parliament;
• The European Council;
• The Council of the European Union;
• The European Commission;
• The Court of Justice of the European Union;
• The European Central Bank;
• The European Court of Auditors.

The competitions organized by the European Personnel Selection Office (EPSO) also provide access to establishments created during the construction of the European Community:

• The European Economic and Social Committee (established in 1957);
• The European Investment Bank (1958);
• The Committee of the Regions (1994);
• The European Ombudsman (1995);
• The European Data Protection Policy (2004);
• The European External Action Service (under formation).

The european commission some key figures

• 51% of Commission staff (employees + temporary agents) are Administrators (grade AD);
• 54% of staff are female, but large differences exist according to the type of business and on levels of responsibility (59% of AD5 are women, 95% of AD16 are men);
• The average age of staff of the Commission is 47 years for men, 43 for women;
• The average age of heads of unit is 52 years and for the directors and directors generalist is 57 years.

What is an administrator?

Administrators have several operational missions:

• Policy development;
• Monitoring the implementation of EU legislation;
• Conducting analysis and providing guidance.

The career of an Administrator extends from AD5 to AD16.

• AD 5 is the entry level of university graduates;
• Selection and recruitment may also be made to AD 6/ AD 7 level for more specialized functions. In this case, several years of professional experience are required.

In general, to be eligible for the Administrator-level examination, a university course of at least three years is necessary.

What types of professions?

There are four major types of activities within the Commission:

• the operational functions (definition and implementation of EU policies, management of European programs makes up about 51% of the personnel);
• the administrative support functions (human resources, security, etc. 22% of the personnel);
• the coordination functions (inter-institutional relations, communication, or 7% of the personnel);
• the specific functions to the Commission (translators / interpreters, audit, etc. 20% of the personnel).