Trade Union of the Staff of European Institutions The President , 3 July 2008

OPEN LETTER to MR President BARROSO, MR Vice-President KALLAS

Re: Modernisation of the Commission's Human Resources Commission meeting of 9 July 2008

Mr. President, Mr Vice-President Next week's Commission meeting features an agenda point with the misguided title 'Modernisation of the Commission's Human Resources'. This document, which has never been subject to the compulsory social dialogue with staff representatives, and which has only been received by us through informal channels, poses dangerous threats to the survival of a competent, permanent and independent (and therefore of our Institution). In this context and in the frame of the social dialog which is precious to you when you ask national social partners to implement it, we ask you to remove the document from the meeting agenda, and engage in a serious debate with staff unions about the future of the Commission and the role of Human Resources, before any decision by the Commission is taken. Four years after the damaging Kinnock reforms, administration, human resources and staff unions are still smoothing out as far as possible the damaging effects of the new staff regulation. Now, the dogma by which the 'Holmquist-Report' is guided represents another major attack on the consistency, dignity and efficiency of the European Civil service. Commission staff are tired of and de-motivated by the Commission's policy of amateurish 'modernisation' in recent years which has been marked by:  Shaking up of entire services;  Constant re-structuring with no clear reason:  Rotating staff every few years, both physically and by function:  The creation (and increasing predominance) of an insecure "class" of workers, currently contract agents or other non-permanent staff:  The creation of many Commission agencies, filled with non-permanent staff:  The privatisation of important functions previously carried out by Commission staff:  The forced mobility of all staff  The new career structure which does not allow new recruits to reach top level management positions within a normal career path Instead of reflecting together with 'stakeholders' (staff and their representatives, in this case) on the real effects of the 2004 Commission reform on the functioning of the , and lessons to be learnt on Human Resource management, a group of Directors General (Holmquist – Madelin – Verrue) under the auspices of the Secretariat

Secrétariat politique : Rue de la LOI, 200 J-79 09/232 B 1049 Bruxelles Tél. (322)2955676 Fax(322)2953014 site web : http://www.renouveau-democratie.eu General has come up with even more damaging ideas under the misguided name 'Modernisation of the Commission's Human Resources'. R&D is seriously concerned about possible repercussions from a number of the proposals concerning the very nature of the European Commission. After all, the functioning of the Commission as a single body is only guaranteed by competent and independent staff that are highly qualified and motivated. The measures proposed by this Report however point in a backward direction meaning that further deterioration is guaranteed. In particular we reject the following ideas presented in the report for Commission to:  Shift the ratio of temporary (e.g.insecure) to permanent (i.e. officials) staff from the current 1:4 (one contract or other temporary agent per four officials) to 3:1 (three contract or other temporary agent per official);  Shift AST tasks systematically to contract agent level;  Reinforce ad hoc task forces in Human Resources;  Introduce even more 'flexible' work structures (more insecurity);  Further pressurise staff on mobility (again more insecurity);  Further de-centralise services, not only with regard to Human Resources;  Grant even more freedom for DGs, reinforcing the creation of 'little fiefdoms' across the same institution;  Change the recruitment process with one large inflow per year, and a systematic reduction of European affairs generalists in favour of increasing staff with high technical knowledge i.e. little mobility (which may increase precarity). Again, the takes an altogether different approach. During a recent conference on the 'functioning of the European Civil Service' organised by R&D, one MEP spoke publicly out about her concerns in this respect. We demand that the Commission take the 'Holmquist-report' off its meeting agenda next week and that a serious and honest debate in the framework of the social dialogue at the European Commission is launched this autumn, in order to identify problems created by the Kinnock reforms, and ways to alleviate them through a systematic change for the better –a real 'modernisation of Human Resources'. This debate should also involve the European Parliament and expert academics who appear to share our concerns. Yours sincerely, Franco Ianniello

Copy: Commissioners and staff

Secrétariat politique : Rue de la LOI, 200 J-79 09/232 B 1049 Bruxelles Tél. (322)2955676 Fax(322)2953014 site web : http://www.renouveau-democratie.eu