Joint Decision creating inter-institutional joint committees for certain policies regarding local agents

Pursuant to the Communication to the Commission of 22 December 2010 on staff management in Union Delegations, the Commission and the European External Action Service (EEAS) closely coordinate their policies regarding local agents.

The Framework Rules laying down the conditions of employment of local staff serving in non-member countries, adopted by the Commission on 21 November 1989, provide for two joint committees to be consulted on:
– the management of career progress (acceleration or deferral of an agent's advancement in step);
– the adoption of special and exceptional measures to facilitate the departure of the members of local staff in the event of the Commission’s activities in non-members countries being cut back or changed in the interests of the services.

The Framework Rules provide for the possibility of supplementary or independent sickness insurance schemes. The Complementary Sickness Insurances Scheme of Local Agents (CSISLA) of the Commission and of the EEAS serving in a third country is funded by contributions of the Commission and the EEAS as well as of Local Agents. Decisions on the management of this scheme should, therefore, be taken following consultation of a joint committee.

The need to establish joint committees not only applies to Commission agents, but equally to those of the EEAS. In a spirit of close coordination and mutual assistance between the Commission and the EEAS the joint committees already existing at the level of the Commission should be transformed into inter-institutional joint committees.

Commission Decision C(2005)2665 of 15 July 2005 on improving social dialogue in the Commission through Joint Committees has laid down a legal framework for the operation of joint committees at the Commission, which should continue to guide the interpretation of the rules governing these committees, subject to a number of adaptations provided for in the new inter-institutional context, in particular regarding the committees' composition, the quorum required and the voting rights.