Parachuting season has officially started. tao advocates for an exemplary recruitment procedures in the ec
Every five years, when the end of the Commission’s mandate approaches, we all witness a phenomenon popularly known as “parachuting”.
Indeed, the stress level of some colleagues in cabinets and other “high-flying places” increases when they start wondering whether their Commissioner will continue their job after the European elections and the arrival of the new College of Commissioners.
Many of these colleagues will start ‘landing’ through the fog as a head of unit or in senior management positions in Commission DGs and services.
This phenomenon raises some questions among Commission staff: Do these “parachuted” colleagues have the necessary knowledge and the management skills suitable for the position? Was a selection panel organised for the position they will be filling with all the guarantees? How, in some cases, did these colleagues become civil servants if they had a different status when working in the ‘high-flying’ place?
These questions are legitimately asked by the colleagues of this institution who are often frustrated and feel powerless. It may also eventually harm our image outside. Well prepared colleagues meeting all the merit-based requirements should be able to apply for a post under the fairest conditions.
At TAO-The Independents, we believe the Commission must be exemplary when it comes to recruitment procedures and nominations. We therefore ask the administration for the highest level of transparency to remove any doubt about these nominations.
As a staff association which strives for the well-being of colleagues, TAO is available for stressed colleagues in cabinets and “high places” to talk to us before they decide to “jump”.
