Press Release: Commission introduces performance appraisal for its top staff and measures to further professionalise its appointment procedures

On 22.12.00 the Commission decided to create a new system for the promotion and appraisal of its most senior officials. The new measures will introduce appraisals of Directors-General and Directors every two years, as well as a reorganisation of procedures for selection and appointment to those posts. Major innovations include the introduction of compulsory management training before taking on posts at that level, the introduction of probationary periods and a policy of structured mobility. The text also proposes the decentralisation of Head of Unit appointments to the responsible Director-General, subject to safeguards. The Commission's White Paper on Reform stressed the importance of setting the highest standards of management and performance for its most senior staff.

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