Eurocrat start pay ‘too low to coax top talent’

By Martin Banks

Date: 17/03/05

THE secretary-general of the European Parliament says that starting salaries for staff at EU institutions are too low.

Julian Priestley said he believed low starting salaries would discourage "many talented people" from applying for jobs in the European Parliament, the Commission and the Council of Ministers.

He said: "I am very concerned that a post in the EU will be seen as a less attractive option for would-be job applicants and that fewer candidates will come forward in future.

"We are obliged to recruit most staff at the base grade. But my fear is that the new grading structure will make the EU less competitive as a prospective employer, particularly when compared with the private sector in many member states."

Under the new pay scale that took effect on 1 May, the basic gross monthly salary for administrators is €3,837, rising to €5,558. Under the old pay-scale it was €4,849 per month, rising to €5,332.

Priestley said prospective applicants for certain jobs were already shunning the EU institutions. Linguists, in particular, prefer to work on a freelance basis, earning more that way than they would as new recruits.

The EU could be losing out on other "highly-qualified" staff, such as legal experts, he said.

He added: "I accept that budgets have been cut but reducing the attractiveness of posts in the EU smacks of short-termism."

The European Commission declined to comment but a Commission official said the executive shared Priestley's concerns.

Alan Hick, of Union Syndicale, the biggest EU staff union, said that, while basic salaries might now be lower, prospects for promotion are better.

The Secretary-General of the European Parliament said that starting salaries for staff at EU institutions were too low.

Julian Priestley said he believed low starting salaries would discourage 'many talented people' from applying for jobs in the European Parliament, the Commission and the Council of Ministers.