CONTRACT AGENT MOBILITY - YOUR OPINIONS MATTER

Karoly Soos, Helen Conefrey, Michael Steffens, Alessandro Liamine, Fabien Schaeffer, Stephane Sourdin

Dear Contract Agents (CA) serving in EU Delegations, the Administration has confirmed their willingness to discuss potential improvements to the current CA Mobility Decision which came into force in February 2020.

The movement of Contract Agents (CAs) from HQ to EU DEL and between EU DEL (known as “mobility” for CAs) can be enriching or demotivating depending on a number of factors, including the nature of the work, individual preferences and most importantly how the CA mobility process is managed.

USHU is the leading Trade Union that fought for years to introduce an institutional mobility scheme in 2014 for CAs that has since served as a solid basis to ensure fair treatment and to provide greater professional opportunities for CAs across the entire EU DEL Network. For more than a decade, USHU has assisted individual CAs during often complex Mobility processes, intervening to advocate for solutions and find acceptable outcomes in the interest of both the colleague and the institution.

Mobility is intended to be the cornerstone of our careers through increased professional experience and knowledge of several country contexts together with improved career development. There are however many challenges as CAs face disruption and uncertainty over their next posting, are required to adapt quickly to new countries and regions and sometimes feel helpless as the institutional process advances over which they have little or no control.

Mobility Issues – feedback from CAs over the years

Staff have complained of :

• a top-down institutional process that lacks transparency and accountability as little or no feedback is provided in a timely manner

• Delays and uncertainty linked to the “modernisation” of the EU DEL network and its impact on current and future posts for Contract Agents

• No real-time data on applicants per post that would help candidates to better target positions and prepare for eventual interviews

• Late decisions that leave colleagues with insufficient time to deal with a range of issues including the enrolment of children in schools in third countries

• A differentiated approach given that CAs are obligatorily subject to interviews and it is unclear how they are factored into the result.

• CAs have undergone evaluation and reclassification procedures and have repeatedly proven their suitability to work for the EU so some question the need to go beyond a desktop CV assessment.

• Others firmly underline the importance of robust communication skills and critical analysis hence the absolute need for an integrated process including interviews.

We must ensure that the CA Mobility Decision is a procedure that promotes career development and provides greater transparency in relation to transfers

With over a decade of implementation and several revisions, it is time once again to look closely at the CA Mobility Decision and ensure it is fit for purpose. 

USHU welcomes your recommendations to improve the current Decision and implementing guidelines – we are open to receiving your inputs based on your experiences over time.

Share your thoughts with us on how to improve

the CA Mobility Decision : REP-PERS-USHU@eeas.europa.eu