{"id":16337,"date":"2024-12-19T15:39:12","date_gmt":"2024-12-19T14:39:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.daldewolf.com\/?p=16337"},"modified":"2024-12-19T16:15:55","modified_gmt":"2024-12-19T15:15:55","slug":"the-officil-november-december-2024-issue-98","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.daldewolf.com\/en\/the-officil-november-december-2024-issue-98\/","title":{"rendered":"THE OFFICI@L \u2013 NOVEMBER\/DECEMBER 2024 \u2013 ISSUE 98"},"content":{"rendered":"

The OFFICI@L – Issue 98 – November\/December 2024, our newsletter dedicated to European Union officials, has just been published. It is available in both French and English.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>

Editorial<\/h1>\n

Dear Readers,<\/em><\/p>\n

This is already our last issue of the year!<\/em><\/p>\n

In this edition, you will find an analysis of the special report by the Court of Auditors on EU public service<\/a>, as well as a case law commentary on a judgment of the General Court of the EU concerning the essential role of the Disciplinary Board in disciplinary procedures<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n

In our “Belgian Law<\/a>” section, we will discuss the contract for the sale of a used vehicle from one private individual to another<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n

This newsletter also belongs to you, and we welcome any suggestions you may have for our upcoming issues. Please feel free to contact us by email at: theofficial@daldewolf.com<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n

We look forward to seeing you next year, with our sights set on the 100th<\/sup> issue of THE OFFICI@L.<\/em><\/p>\n

In the meantime, we wish you a wonderful holiday season and a very happy 2025.<\/em><\/p>\n

The DALDEWOLF team<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>

<\/div>
\"\"<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>

DALDEWOLF<\/strong>
\n– European Union Law and Human Rights<\/strong><\/em>
\nTHIERRY BONTINCK – ANA\u00cfS GUILLERME – MARIANNE BR\u00c9SART – LAURA JAKOBS – LUCIE MARCHAL – LOUISE BOUCHET – SABRINA NAPOLITANO – FEDERICO PATUELLI
\n– Belgian Law<\/strong><\/em>
\nDOMINIQUE BOGAERT<\/p>\n

in partnership with PERSPECTIVES law firm<\/strong>:
\n– Family Law<\/strong><\/em>
\nCANDICE FASTREZ<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>

<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/section>
<\/div>

Focus – Special report of the European Court of Auditors on EU public service<\/h1>\n

On 7 November 2024, the European Court of Auditors adopted a special report dedicated to the European public service, particularly focusing on the employment framework.<\/p>\n

The report finds that EU institutions increasingly rely on temporary contracts (contract and temporary agents), which is considered a risk to the continuity of operations. They face difficulties in attracting certain profiles and nationalities and do not fully utilize the opportunities available to improve performance and career prospects. Consequently, the Court of Auditors urges all EU institutions to “redouble their efforts to recruit the increasingly diverse skills they need”.<\/p>\n

Regarding the number and cost of personnel, the report observes that the number of tasks performed by EU institutions has continuously increased over the years, yet the number of jobs has not increased accordingly. In this regard, the Court of Auditors notes that the European public administration, which includes the salary costs of approximately 51,000 EU agents and officials, represents only 5% of the total EU expenditure. Additionally, the report observes that EU public service salaries remain equivalent to those offered by other international organizations.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

The report identifies difficulties in attracting specific profiles and nationalities, particularly in technical and scientific fields. It is noted that EU institutions do not fully exploit the opportunities offered by the Staff Regulations to improve workforce management. To address this, it recommends simplifying recruitment processes to make them more attractive and reduce their complexity and duration.<\/p>\n

Furthermore, the Court suggests conducting targeted promotional campaigns to attract candidates from different nationalities and with varied skills, which would enhance the diversity and quality of recruitments (pages 23-25).<\/p>\n

In the meantime, the Court of Auditors advises considering the internal reassignment of personnel according to the specific needs of the institutions. Additionally, the Court recommends investing in continuous training to develop the skills of officials and agents and adapt them to new requirements. Finally, it recommends implementing career development programs that offer attractive advancement prospects (pages 76-78). Moreover, it is essential to value the skills and contributions of officials and agents through promotions and professional development opportunities, which would help retain talent and maintain a high level of motivation among staff (pages 79-81).<\/p>\n

Regarding the increased use of temporary agents (pages 34-49), particularly in strategic services, the Court of Auditors recommends implementing policies to integrate temporary agents into overall personnel management. In practice, this could mean offering longer contracts or clearer career opportunities for temporary agents to reduce turnover and ensure better continuity of services. It is also recommended to strengthen training and professional development programs for these agents to maximize their contribution and integration within existing teams (pages 41-43).<\/p>\n

The current performance management is deemed too restrictive by the Court of Auditors. To improve this situation, it proposes introducing more flexibility in performance evaluation criteria and processes (pages 70-72). This would better motivate staff by appropriately recognizing and rewarding individual contributions. The Court also recommends setting clear and measurable objectives for each agent, thus facilitating performance evaluation and adjustment of actions accordingly (pages 73-75).<\/p>\n

Finally, the Court of Auditors finds that institutions rarely apply procedures to address cases of professional incompetence (pages 72-84). In this regard, the General Secretariat of the Council responded by noting that it has a prevention plan aimed at addressing inadequate performance before resorting to professional incompetence procedures. The Council will review its guidelines concerning this prevention plan.<\/p>\n<\/div>