Dedicated to free, fair and open competition

Date: 05/10/1995

A concours for eight staff jobs in the Committee of the Regions produced a remarkable result: a 100&percent; pass rate, unparalleled in EU history.

Mind you, there were not many candidates because it was an internal competition, not the usual open contest which could have attracted hundreds or even thousands of applicants.

Only 13 were allowed to sit the exam and all passed. Of those, eight were already on temporary contracts with the Committee and five were from the Economic and Social Committee (ESC), which shares back-up resources with the Committee of the Regions.

The successful candidates were the eight already holding contracts. Some ESC applicants, one of whom has more than 20 years' experience, were not happy.

The arrangement was a little too cosy for the Union Syndicale. Vice-President Frank Patterson warned: “We believe such practices undermine the integrity and competence of the European public service.” The union is now demanding talks with Committee of the Regions President Jacques Blanc and has threatened selective strikes if nothing is done.

It's not the first time the Committee of the Regions, the EU's newest body, has upset the union side.

A formal complaint was lodged by the unions last week in the Court of First Instance in Luxembourg accusing the Committee of discrimination against external candidates in the appointment of German Helmut Müllers as head of personnel and administration.

The claim is that the vacancy was filled with “indecent haste” - almost flattering considering the

slow pace at which Euro-bureaucracy usually grinds.