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The Commission has launched a new directory of its staff as a pilot project at http://ec.europa.eu/staffdir/plsql/gsys_page.display_index?pLang=EN. Based on an internal source, the information is now being made available to the wider public in the interests of transparency. Unlike the existing Inter-Institutional Directory, IDEA, which is available both in print and online at http://europa.eu.int/idea/index.htm, and limits listings to officials in senior managerial positions, the new directory contains details of Commission staff at lower levels of the hierarchy, including desk officers who may be responsible for projects and programmes. Direct access to these staff will be of considerable potential benefit to the public.
The new directory can be searched by name, keyword or by the organisational structure by clicking on the relevant tab. The name search offers the options of filling in additional fields such as Directorate General or Unit, and specifying terms in the job description. Results can be sorted by surname, first name, DG, Directorate or Unit. In practice the first name is usually only an initial and it is hard to work out the rationale of the DG order. Because this has simply been an internal source to date, the job descriptions are often brief and may be either in English or French. Often they are less than helpful in identifying what someone actually does. Consideration is being given to how these might be made more meaningful and the revised details will be added to the database. Brief results are displayed in columns showing the name, DG, Directorate and Unit. All elements are hyperlinks leading to further details. For a named person, the directorate, unit, job title, address and direct telephone number (plus occasionally a Fax) are provided.
To search by the organisational chart, click on the tab and browse through the structure of the Commission to identify the relevant individual. At Unit level the list of posts and name of head of unit are given. Clicking on a post title leads to full details of the person holding that post, though as noted above, the descriptions do not make this easy so it can be rather a case of trial and error to track down the appropriate person.
The keyword search will again benefit from better job descriptions. Meantime however it offers the option of selecting a DG from the dropdown menu in combination with entering alternative terms in the three fields provided or using the Boolean AND within a field. The search works on a word stem so “archiv” will pick up Archives or archivists.
As a working internal tool, this source needs to be maintained to provide current information and this will undoubtedly benefit external users also. With a wider coverage of Commission staff it will also provide answers that IDEA, focussing on senior managerial staff, did not. Surprisingly however it does not give e-mail addresses and with only a first name initial it is not possible to construct an address, even where the normal e-mail format is known. The search interface is offered in English, French and German, while job descriptions are either in English or French. In contrast IDEA offers the full official multilingual range and though more restrictive in levels of staff listed and sometimes not entirely up to date, it is an inter-institutional directory rather than being limited to just one institution.
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