EU school to improve understanding

By Tim King

Date: 03/02/05

A SCHOOL to train EU officials started life this week, with a brief to improve understanding between the various EU institutions.

The European Administrative School was given the final go-ahead by the Commission on 26 January. The head of the school, David Walker, took up his post on Tuesday (1 February) and has begun recruiting the 18-strong team of staff.

The school has the backing of the Parliament, the Council of Ministers, the European Court of Justice, the European Court of Auditors, the Economic and Social Committee, the Committee of the Regions and the European Ombudsman. It will be attached administratively to the European Personnel Selection Office (EPSO), another inter-institutional body, and will answer to EPSO's management board.

It will be housed in a Commission building in Brussels, probably in rue du Luxembourg. There will also be a small satellite office on the Kirchberg plateau in Luxembourg.

The school will initially work on three types of training: induction courses for newly recruited officials, training for middle-management and training for those trying to change categories of employment, from assistant to administrator.

The intention is that the school might take on other training duties if it proves a success.

"If the school delivers then I think it will expand," said Walker, who was previously director of resources in the interpretation directorate-general of the Commission and before that head of the Commission's training unit.

"For the first time the same basic training will be given to staff of all the institutions at two key points in their careers," he said.

The European Commission took a final decision on 26 January 2005 to establish the European Administrative School in Brussels. It is planned that the school will initially offer three types of training: induction courses for newly recruited officials, training for middle-management and training for those trying to change categories of employment, from assistant to administrator.