"In an increasingly competitive jobs market, the European institutions have to be able to attract a diverse range of top quality applicants," said Maroš Šefčovič, Commission Vice-President for Inter-Institutional Relations and Administration. "It's also important that we hang on to these people, which we will only do if they have the prospect of finding an attractive post without undue delay. The new system is based on best practice across the public sector. It will provide the EU institutions with the right people at the right time, while remaining true to the principles of fair and open competition."

On March 16th, details of graduate vacancies in the EU institutions will be published by the European Personnel Selection Office (EPSO). These will include positions in the fields of European Public Administration, Law, Economics, Audit and Information and Communication Technology. In July, vacancy notices for translators and interpreters will be published.

Better planning

EPSO has introduced a three-year rolling plan where institutions regularly assess their staffing needs. There will be annual recruitment competitions in three cycles, for Administrators, Assistants and Linguists, complemented by individual competitions for specialists. To end the situation where successful candidates often spend years on a list without actually finding a post, reserve lists will remain valid for just one year, until the following year's competition cycle is completed. Most candidates on reserve lists will be invited for interview. Participants will be able to receive feedback on their performance in the competition, thus avoiding lengthy review procedures.

Faster and more targeted recruitment

EPSO's new selection procedure will improve the quality and reliability of the process. A key principle is the shift from knowledge to competency-based assessment of job candidates. There will now be just two stages in the procedure – computer-based pre-selection testing in individual EU countries and an assessment stage in Brussels. The new cycle will take between 5 and 9 months, rather than up to two years as is the case under the previous system.

Pre-selection will still involve tests of cognitive ability and situational judgement, plus professional and language competency, depending on the profile sought. The previous test on EU knowledge will no longer feature in the first stage, but this will be assessed at the second stage alongside job-related exercises during the assessment.

The assessment phase will allow all key competencies to be properly and reliably tested, with the emphasis on job-related abilities rather than factual knowledge. Exercises will be selected to evaluate the desired skills, each of which will be assessed at least twice. This stage will comprise a full day or half day of tests depending on the type of competition. This will be done in the candidate's second language (English, French or German), except for profiles requiring specific language skills. This will replace the lengthy two-stage written and oral test process. In addition to specific professional skills and knowledge, a number of core competencies will be assessed, including analysis and problem solving, communication, delivering results, learning and development, prioritising and organising, resilience and working with others.

Selection boards will be professionalised, through the secondment to EPSO of selection board members, the certification of board members in competency-based assessment and greater use of expertise in HR and psychology.

Successful candidates will be issued with a 'competency passport' setting out their performance in the assessment centre, which will be sent to the institutions to help with the recruitment process.

Promoting diversity

EPSO is also implementing a series of measures to promote diversity within the workforce and to improve the image of the EU institutions as an employer. These include guaranteeing the gender-neutrality of tests, improving services offered to candidates with special needs, and more pro-active handling of reserve lists.

Why a career in the EU?

EPSO wants to attract the very best candidates to work in the EU. Alongside the new selection procedure, it has developed a new logo to attract potential candidates. For its part, the Commission is determined that it should be a public administration of the highest quality. A career in the EU institutions offers a lifetime of different jobs; interesting and challenging work which makes a real difference to Europe; an environment where people are encouraged to learn new skills and languages; the opportunity to work and travel abroad, and work with people from all over Europe; and an attractive benefits package.

You can access the European Personnel Selection Office (EPSO) website here.

10 March 2010 - Michel Barnier, European Commissioner for Internal Market and Services, announced yesterday at the European Parliament in Strasbourg that the Commission would carry out an in-depth examination of insurance schemes covering national catastrophes, in particular flooding.

This initiative will involve a broad range of stakeholders and dialogue with Member States and insurance experts to exchange examples of best practice and to fix priorities at an appropriate level. The results of this dialogue with Member States, insurance experts and other interested parties will be the subject of a conference to be organised by the Commission during 2011.

This announcement came in response to an oral question by Irish MEP, Seán Kelly, regarding the "inability of the market to provide adequate cover" against flooding in certain Member States.

Mr Kelly's question follows very severe flooding in Ireland and the United Kingdom in November and December. It also comes shortly after violent floods caused by the Xynthia storm most notably caused the deaths of more than 50 people in France on 26 and 27 February.

Moreover, as Special Advisor to Commission President José Manuel Barroso, in May 2006, Michel Barnier presented a report proposing the creation of European civil protection force.

5 March 2010 - Earlier today the EU's E-skills week was brought to a close with the message that citizens need to prepare for the future jobs market and engagement in society through enhanced web-skills. The Minister for Life Long Learning, Sean Haughey TD, was the main speaker at today's special conference ‘e-Skills for Lifelong Learning’ which was hosted at the European Commission Representation in Ireland.

In his opening remarks Mr Martin Territt, Director of the European Commission Representation in Ireland, emphasised that developing e-learning strategies are a core part of the Commission's newly launched Europe 2020 Agenda, which roadmaps the future economy.

Mr Territt said, "The European Commissions e-Skills Week should help promote awareness of high skilled ICT employment, which is interesting, creative and well paid. But it should also emphasise to everybody that they can live independent and sustainable digital lifestyles and fully participate in today's knowledge society".

EU e-Skills Week 2010 is taking place across Europe to raise the level of awareness around the importance of e-Skills for the future of the entire European economy. The campaign aims to inform students, young professionals and SMEs about the vast range of opportunities that ICT-related jobs present. Ultimately the campaign aims to increase ICT skills among professionals and to encourage more young people to take up ICT studies and careers.

Minister Haughey addressed the conference by saying, “I am very proud that Ireland is one of 20 countries participating in the EU E-Skills week. This European project involves approximately 300,000 people, participating in more than 100 activities, including training sessions, school visits and competitions.

The conference also included sessions with leading experts from industry and academia to discuss ‘Smart Teachers – Smart Learners’, ‘eSkills for SMEs’ and ‘Competing with E-Skills’ in Ireland. 

Peter Davitt, CEO of FIT (Fast Track to IT) who are lead partners of this initiative in Ireland, said, “Ensuring that people have the right skills is just as important to increase employability and help create today’s and tomorrow’s jobs.  This is particularly important in the context of creating an inclusive smart economy where smart skills not just degrees and Phd’s will be essential."

“Earlier in the week FAS and the ESRI announced that up to 250,000 additional jobs will be created in the next five years, this was followed by the IDA’s expectation that it will create 105,000 jobs between now and 2014. The majority of these jobs will be technology driven and the onus is on us to prepare today for recovery tomorrow.  e-Skills week has focused on all sectors of society, earlier in the week we looked at ways of encouraging more young people to take up science and technology related subjects and today we have moved on to look at e-skills in the context of lifelong learning.”

Fiona Mullan, HR Director of Microsoft Ireland and Chair of FIT said, “If Ireland is to become a true Smart Economy and compete globally, then we need to start providing people with the tools they require at school and ensure that over the course of a career those vital e-skills are continually developed.  We need to begin with our teachers.  If they have access to continuous professional development they can ignite that spark and thirst for knowledge that we hope will encourage students to continue the development of their e-skills which will be vital for success in any career."

The main facilitator for this week's event, is FIT, an industry-led initiative which works in close collaboration with government departments, national education and training agencies, third level institutions and regional & local development organisations. FIT's mission is to build an inclusive Smart Economy by creating a fastrack to marketable technical skills for those at risk of long term unemployment.

For further information on EU e-Skills Week 2010 log onto www.fit.ie or http://eskills-week.ec.europa.eu.

The report also contains a short country-by-country assessment. See here for more on Ireland and other EU Member States. Go to page 31 for Ireland.

The Joint Report on Social Protection and Social Inclusion 2009 is available here .

It presents key messages on how to orientate policies in the short to medium term to ensure a lasting recovery while also helping to address long-term structural challenges. The report will contribute to the Spring European Council on 25-26 March.

"People are ultimately what Europe is about, and the crisis has highlighted the strength of the European social model and the EU's joint approach to tackling the crisis' social impact," said László Andor, EU Commissioner for Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion. "Although situations differ considerably between Member States, policies to protect households and individuals and prevent exclusion have been crucial in limiting the worst effects of the crisis. We must now make sure these policies are fully integrated in our long-term economic and employment strategies, for example by including concrete targets for reducing poverty."

This year's Joint Report highlights the following areas on which to focus efforts:

• The crisis and the joint monitoring of its social impact has emphasised the added value of EU's role in mutual learning, exchange of good practice, and policy co-ordination through the Open Method of Coordination on Social Protection and Social Inclusion (Social OMC). This is a role that will be considerably strengthened as part of the Commission's proposals for a new Europe 2020 Strategy.
• Europe 2020 announced a new Flagship Initiative the "European Platform against Poverty". The aim is to build on the current European year for combating poverty and social exclusion and raise awareness about poverty and social inclusion issues. The Social OMC would be strengthened and integrated into the platform.
• Policy intervention and European welfare systems proved instrumental in containing the economic and social impact of the crisis. But the full human cost of the crisis is still unfolding.
• Recovery will take time. Reversing rising unemployment – likely to reach 10.3% for the EU as a whole in 2010 – and avoiding long-term exclusion are major challenges.
• The crisis has highlighted great diversity within the EU. Several countries lack the financial means to meet rising demand for public intervention. Some have large gaps in their safety nets.
• At the same time, increased pressure on public finances – social spending is expected to rise from 28% of GDP in 2008 to 31% in 2011 – calls for more effective and efficient social inclusion and social protection, in line with the principles of access for all, adequacy and sustainability.
• The crisis has aggravated poverty and exclusion, including child poverty. Many countries report increased pressure on last resort schemes. We need to act to limit the impact.
• Balanced active inclusion strategies have a key role to play when designing exit strategies. By combining adequate income support, access to the labour market and to quality services, they can help fight poverty, get more people into work, and make social spending more efficient.
• Housing exclusion and access to healthcare are areas of concern. Health is an area where rethinking priorities and increasing efficiency can lead to substantial economies.
• Pensions have offered good protection to current pensioners, but the crisis is likely to impact on all pension schemes and aggravate the ageing challenge. With the increasing role of funded pensions, a better balance needs to be struck for pension savers between security, affordability and returns.
• Regular and systematic assessment of the overall contribution of the EU's economic and employment strategy to social progress will be necessary. The 2010 European Year puts combating poverty and social exclusion high on the political agenda.

The Joint Report is accompanied by a Commission services working document which provides a more detailed thematic account of challenges and policy responses.

4 March 2010 - The European Commission plans to use a series of measures aimed at significantly reducing the pay gap between men and women over the next five years. The average gender pay gap in the EU currently stands at 18%. To lower this rate, the Commission plans to raise awareness among employers, encourage initiatives to promote gender equality and support the development of tools to measure the gender pay gap, while new legal measures are not excluded. The Commission intends to consult the European social partners and analyse the impact of a number of options: strengthening sanctions, providing pay transparency and regular reporting on the pay gap. A Eurobarometer survey released today shows that more than 80% of Europeans support urgent action to address the gap.

"I am deeply concerned that the gender pay gap has barely fallen over the last 15 years and in some countries it is even increasing," said Vice-President Viviane Reding, EU Commissioner for Justice, Fundamental Rights and Citizenship. "In these times of crisis, the gender pay gap is a cost Europe cannot afford. We need to use all the tools we have to close the gender pay gap. Together with Member States, we will seek to significantly reduce the gender pay gap in the EU by the end of this Commission's mandate."

The gender pay gap – the average difference in gross hourly earnings between women and men across the economy as a whole – now stands at 18% for the EU, with considerable differences between countries and sectors. In Ireland, the figure stands at 17.1%, just below the European average.

A Eurobarometer survey on gender equality shows that Europeans consider closing the gender pay gap is a top priority in tackling inequality between women and men, along with confronting violence against women. 82% of Europeans think that urgent action should be taken to tackle the gender pay gap. Meanwhile, 62% of respondents consider gender inequality to be widespread in their country. 66% also said the situation has improved over the past decade. The effect of the gender pay gap on lifetime earnings means that women will also have lower pensions. As a result, women are more affected than men by persistent and extreme poverty: 22% of women aged 65 and over are at risk of poverty compared to 16% of men.

The Eurobarometer survey shows that in Ireland 79% of respondents are in favour of urgent action to bridge the pay gap. 43% of Irish people think that gender equality is widespread in the coutnry while 70% beliver the situation has improved in the last 10 years.

In the second half of 2010, the Commission will put forward a new EU strategy for gender equality for 2010-2015. Tackling the gender pay gap will be one of the main priorities. The Commission will use all available instruments, both legislative and non-legislative, to reduce the gender pay gap.

The Commission will analyse in detail the economic and social impact of certain options, together with the European social partners, in particular:

• On reporting the gender pay gap and ensuring transparency on pay at company and individual levels or collectively through information and consultation with workers;
• On reinforcing the obligation to ensure gender neutral job classifications and pay scales;
• On improving the provisions on sanctions in case of a breach of the right to equal pay, to ensure that they are dissuasive and proportional (for instance, higher sanctions in case of repeated offence).

The Commission will also:

• Raise awareness among employees, employers and the public of the causes of the pay gap and potential solutions;
• Encourage initiatives promoting gender equality at the workplace with equality labels, charters and awards. In France, for example, the "Label égalité professionnelle" was established in 2004. Companies can obtain it for a period of three years if they follow a special procedure and show their commitment to gender equality in a range of areas including scheduling, career development and internal promotion of women in key positions.
• Support the development of tools to help employers analyse gender pay gaps within their companies. For example Germany developed software which calculates the wage gap. This instrument can help employers become aware of the situation and take measures to tackle the gender pay gap.
• Improve the supply and quality of statistics on the pay gap.

Addressing gender inequalities in the labour market also forms a key element of Europe2020 the EU's economic and employment strategy for the next decade. According to a study conducted under the Swedish EU Presidency in 2009, eliminating gender gaps in employment in the EU Member States could lead to a potential 15% - 45% increase in GDP.

For more information, please see the Questions and answers on the pay gap [50 KB] .

Please also see the extract from the Eurobarometer survey detailing the responses in Ireland [3 MB] .

The full Eurobarometer survey is available here [9 MB] .

Check out the Gender Pay Gap calculator here.

2 March 2010 - The European Commission announced today its intention to come up with a proposal by the summer to allow more choice to Member States in deciding whether to cultivate GMO's. Under the current legal framework, as decided by the Council and the European Parliament, the Commission adopted today two decisions concerning the Genetically Modified Amflora potato: the first authorises the cultivation of Amflora in the EU for industrial use, and the second relates to the use of Amflora's starch by-products as feed.

The European Commission also adopted today three decisions on the placing on the market of three GM maize products for food and feed uses but not for cultivation. All five authorisations were subjected to the highest scrutiny, ensuring all concerns regarding the presence of an antibiotic resistance marker gene are fully addressed. The Decision to authorise the cultivation of Amflora is the end of a process which started in Sweden in January 2003 and is based on a considerable volume of sound science.

Health and Consumer Policy Commissioner, John Dalli noted: "Responsible innovation will be my guiding principle when dealing with innovative technologies. After an extensive and thorough review of the five pending GM files, it became clear to me that there were no new scientific issues that merited further assessment. All scientific issues, particularly those concerning safety, had been fully addressed. Any delay would have simply been unjustified. By taking these decisions, the European Commission fulfils its role in a responsible manner. These decisions are based on a series of favourable safety assessments carried out over the years by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA). In parallel we have today launched a reflection on how to combine a European authorization system with the freedom of Member Sates to decide on cultivation on GMO's."

Click here [3 MB] to listen to further comments from Commissioner Dalli.

In line with the political guidelines of President Barroso of September 2009, Commissioner Dalli has been asked to come forward with a proposal by the summer setting out how a Community authorisation system, based on science, can be combined with freedom for Member States to decide whether or not they wish to cultivate GM crops on their territory.

For more information please see:

MEMO/10/58: Questions and Answers on Genetically Modified Organisms (GMO's)

http://ec.europa.eu/food/food/biotechnology/index_en.htm: Genetically modified food and feed webpage of the Directorate General for Health and Consumers

Responses to the Green Paper from the public, Member States, EU institutions and other stakeholders will guide the Commission on whether additional action is needed at EU level.

European Environment Commissioner Janez Potočnik said: "Europe's forests are a precious resource that must be protected against the harmful impacts of climate change and biodiversity loss. Their wide range of social, economic and environmental functions means that the stakes are high. We need to explore what value European action can add to national efforts to safeguard forests and maintain reliable, coherent and up-to-date information about them."

Connie Hedegaard, European Commissioner for Climate Action said: "As huge stores of carbon, forests will play a critical role in efforts to keep global warming below 2°C. Ensuring that Europe's forests can continue to perform all their functions is essential to the EU's climate strategy. I very much welcome the timely launch of this debate.The inputs we receive will help us to design effective EU policies related to climate and forests."

Content and aims of the Green Paper

The Green Paper sets out the main challenges facing Europe's forests. It presents existing forest information systems and the tools available to protect forests, and raises a series of questions relevant to the development of future policy options. The paper is part of the follow-up to the White Paper on adapting to climate change adopted by the Commission in April 2009.

Since competence for forest policy lies primarily with the Member States, the debate should focus on how climate change is modifying forest management and protection in Europe and how EU policy should evolve to enhance its contribution to Member State initiatives.

Forests and climate change

Forests serve multiple and inter-related social, economic and environmental functions. They provide jobs, income and raw materials for industry and for renewable energy. They protect soil, human settlements and infrastructure, regulate freshwater supplies and conserve biodiversity. In climate terms, forests act as 'sinks' that absorb carbon dioxide (CO2), the main greenhouse gas, when they are growing but they are sources of CO2 when they are cut, burned or damaged by storms and pests. Forests also regulate local and regional weather.

Forests and other wooded areas cover some 176 million hectares of the EU or more than 42% of the EU's land area. EU forests have continuously expanded for over 60 years and today account for 5% of the world's forest area. Most EU forests have grown in terms of their wood volume and carbon stock, thus removing more CO2 from the atmosphere. Globally, however, the loss of forests - mostly in developing countries - and other land use changes are now responsible for about 12-15% of global CO2 emissions, recent information shows.

The average temperature in Europe has risen by almost 1°C during the past century and the most optimistic projection sees an increase of 2°C by 2100. This rapid rate of man-made climate change is overwhelming the natural ability of ecosystems to adapt. It will alter the suitability of whole regions for certain forest types, forcing a shift in the natural distribution of tree species and leading to changes in the growth of existing forest stands. Extreme events such as storms, forest fires, droughts and heat waves are expected to become much more common and/or severe, thus adding to pressure on forests.

Next steps

A public consultation on the Green Paper will run from 1 March to 31 July 2010 on the Your Voice in Europe website. As part of the consultation the Commission will organise a workshop and stakeholder meeting in Brussels as part of Green Week on 3 June. The Green Paper will also be discussed at a forest protection conference being organised by the Spanish presidency in Valsain, Spain, on 6-7 April.

The Commission will publish the contributions to the debate on the Europa website and provide its own feedback on the main outcomes of the consultation.