2005 PROMOTION EXERCISE

The 2005 promotion exercise will be the third organised in accordance with the procedures agreed by the Commission in 2002. This Administrative Notice recaps the key principles of these new procedures and sets out the main changes or clarifications introduced by the general provisions for implementing Article 45 of the Staff Regulations adopted on 23 December 2004.

• CHARACTERISTICS OF THE PROMOTION SYSTEM IN FORCE SINCE 2003
• NEW FEATURES OF THE 2005 PROMOTION EXERCISE
• TIMETABLE FOR THE 2005 PROMOTION EXERCISE
• ANNEX Indicative promotion thresholds for 2005

1. CHARACTERISTICS OF THE PROMOTION SYSTEM IN FORCE SINCE 2003
   
   The new promotion system was applied for the first time in 2003. The entire promotion exercise is now managed via the Sysper 2 “promotion” module. Officials have individual access to their promotion files by means of a personal secret password. Promotion files contain information on the allocation of priority points received under the exercise and on the individual’s situation as regards accumulated priority points and merit points.
   
   1.1. Key principles of the promotion system in force since 2003
    
   • Officials accumulate merit points and priority points over successive promotion exercises. The aggregate number of these points produces an accumulated stock of points.
      
   • In each promotion exercise, the following individuals are promoted:
      
     • all officials with a number of accumulated points above the promotion threshold ⁽¹⁾;
        
     • officials with a number of accumulated points equal to the promotion threshold, provided that there are sufficient budget resources available. To this end, provision has been made for a mechanism to choose between officials having the same ranking (“ex-aequo” officials – those officials with a points score equal to the promotion threshold) on a proposal from the promotion committees.
        
   • The aggregate number of points accumulated by promoted officials will be reduced by the number of points corresponding to the promotion threshold.

   The principles governing the new promotion system are set out in detail in Administrative Notice No 34-2003 of 2 May 2003.
   
   1.2. How are merit points and priority points accumulated?
   
   Each year, officials are allocated merit points and, in certain cases, priority points.

   • Merit points are the result of the mark out of 20 given in the annual career development review (CDR). Officials given a mark of 12 in their CDR for 2004 will be awarded 12 merit points for the 2005 promotion exercise.
     
     However, there are a number of exceptions to this general rule, for instance if the official in question has had a number of appraisals each covering part of the previous year, has changed category or has not been in active employment for the whole of the reference period. In these cases, merit points will be calculated in proportion to the period served in the grade.
      
   • There are several categories of priority points:
      
     • priority points allocated by the Directorate-General: these are awarded by the Directors-General, within the quota available (see point 1.3.), to officials deemed most deserving, as follows:
       – officials who have demonstrated exceptional merit may be allocated 6 to 10 priority points;
       – other officials may be awarded a maximum of 4 points;
       officials whose most recent CDR contains an assessment of “poor” or “inadequate” are not eligible for priority points.
       
       The criteria laid down for allocating these points must be made known to the staff of the Directorate-General concerned. They will be notified to DG ADMIN, which will inform the Staff Committee.
       
       The proposals for the award of priority points by the Directors-General (the formal intentions) will be published by DG ADMIN (see point 3: timetable for the promotion exercise).
        
     • Priority points in recognition of additional work carried out in the interest of the institution: the promotion committees may propose the award of priority points to officials who have carried out tasks which are in the interest of the institution and which do not form part of their normal duties. The list of the tasks in question is contained in Annex I to the general provisions for implementing Article 45 (adopted by the Commission on 23 December 2004). A maximum of 2 such points may be awarded per official and per year.
       
       Jobholders must state in their CDR the additional work which they have undertaken and the number of days which they devoted to it. A drop down menu containing the activities for which these points may be granted (and including an exhaustive list of the Joint Committees) has been provided for that purpose.
       
       In addition, DG ADMIN has asked the European Personnel Selection Office and each Joint Committee Chair for a detailed list of the Commission officials who have taken part in their work.
       
       The proposals relating to these priority points will be made known to staff before the promotion committees meet (see point 3: timetable for the promotion exercise). Officials will therefore be able to lodge an appeal with the committee responsible if they consider that the number of priority points envisaged for them does not reflect the additional work which they undertook during 2004 in the interest of the institution.
        
     • Transitional priority points awarded by the Appointing Authority: these will be awarded to officials whose seniority in their grade at 1 January 2005 exceeds the average seniority in that grade for officials promoted in 2004. The number of these points will depend on the official’s merit mark for 2003. It cannot exceed 4 points and must be calculated in accordance with the table at point 2.3 of the general provisions for implementing Article 45.
        
     • Transitional priority points awarded by the promotion committees: the committees will be able to propose the allocation of up to 3 priority points to offset any problems resulting from the transition from the old to the new promotion system.
        
     • Transitional priority points awarded by the promotion committees on appeal: the committees may propose the allocation of priority points on appeal to officials who have contested their number of Directorate-General priority points by lodging an appeal with the committee concerned. The committee has to have considered the appeal to be justified and must substantiate its proposal. No limit has been set for the number of points which may be allocated on appeal.

   1.3. How is each Directorate-General’s quota of priority points calculated?
   
   Each Directorate-General or department has, for a given grade, a quota of priority points equal to 2.5 times the number of officials in that grade (as at 31 December 2004) and for whom the Directorate-General has:

   • completed the CDR(s) covering 2004;
   • set validated objectives for 2005;
   • drawn up a training map covering at least 2005.

   The quota of priority points is reduced if, for the grade in question, the average merit marks exceed the expected average by more than one point. However, Directorates-General may apply for exemptions. These applications are examined by a joint working party chaired by the Director General of DG ADMIN and comprising four members representing the administration and four members designated by the Staff Committee, representing the staff.
   
   The average number of merit points expected for each grade, as referred to in Article 8 of the general provisions for implementing Article 43 of the Staff Regulations has been set at 14.25 for the 2005 staff appraisal and promotion exercise.
   
   1.4. How are the promotion thresholds set?
   
   Promotion thresholds are not set in advance but established at the end of the annual promotion exercise, for each grade, by the promotion committees and the Appointing Authority. Thresholds depend on the budget resources available and the points allocated by the Directorates-General.
   
   Officials are classified on the basis of the number of points accumulated: top of the list is the official with the most points. If the available budget resources are sufficient to promote 100 officials from grade X to grade Y, the 100 officials with most accumulated points are promoted. The promotion threshold is set at the number of points accumulated by the official ranked 100 on the list.
   
   In view of this mechanism, it is impossible to determine the definitive promotion threshold for a given grade at the start of the exercise.
   
   However, at the start of the exercise DG ADMIN estimates an indicative threshold based on statistical simulations. The indicative promotion thresholds for 2005 are annexed to this Administrative Notice.
   
   1.5. Who is promoted?
   
   Officials with a total number of points above the promotion threshold are promoted, provided that they meet the criteria applicable under the Staff Regulations (minimum seniority in the grade and in service). However, there is one key exception to this rule: officials who scored less than 10 in their most recent CDR cannot be promoted, even if they have accumulated a total number of points above the promotion threshold.
   
   Officials who have accumulated a number of points which coincides exactly with the promotion threshold may possibly be promoted. If budget resources do not permit the promotion of all the officials who have reached the definitive promotion threshold (“ex aequo” officials), the promotion committee proposes, from among these officials, those who may be promoted on the basis of subsidiary criteria such as seniority in the grade and factors relating to equal opportunities or the nature of duties undertaken. Officials with the same total number of points (whatever the origin of those points) are deemed to have the same merit.
   
   1.6. What are the appeal procedures?
   
   The general provisions for implementing Article 43 of the Staff Regulations (staff appraisal) provide for appeal procedures for officials who contest the content of their CDR, in particular the merit mark obtained. A Joint Evaluation Committee has been especially set up in each Directorate-General ⁽²⁾.
   
   During the actual promotion exercise, officials who contest the proposed number of priority points from their Directorate-General or for additional work undertaken in the interest of the institution may lodge an appeal with the relevant promotion committee in accordance with the following procedures:

   • Once priority points have been awarded by the Directors-General, DG ADMIN informs staff of the lists which show, grade by grade, the officials to whom it is proposed to allocate priority points from their Directorate-General and those who might be granted priority points for additional work undertaken in the interest of the institution. Officials are then invited to consult their promotion file.
      
   • Officials have five working days from the publication of those lists to lodge an appeal, via Sysper 2, with the relevant promotion committee.
      
   • The promotion committees ⁽³⁾ are responsible for:
     • making proposals on the allocation of some priority points (see point 1.2. above);
     • examining any individual appeals lodged by officials;
     • selecting possible promotees from among ex-aequo officials (see point 1.5 above).
        
   • Any points allocated by the Appointing Authority following the promotion committees’ work are included in the promotion file of each official concerned. In addition, DG ADMIN publishes the lists of officials whom the promotion committees consider to be the most deserving of promotion ^(4), the lists of officials to whom points have been awarded for additional work undertaken in the interest of the institution, and the lists of officials promoted.

   At the end of the promotion procedure, moreover, officials may lodge a complaint with the Appointing Authority under Article 90(2) of the Staff Regulations to challenge:

   • the fact that they have not been promoted;
      
   • the calculation of their merit points on the basis of the marks in the CDR concerned (any challenge involving the merit marks themselves is to be made as part of the appraisal exercise, as indicated above);
      
   • the total number of priority points obtained during the promotion exercise, regardless of the type of points concerned.
      
2. NEW FEATURES OF THE 2005 PROMOTION EXERCISE
   
   The main new features result from the new Staff Regulations’ entry into force on 1 May 2004.
   
   2.1. The new career structure
   
   The 2005 promotion exercise will take place under the career structure laid down in Article 2 of Annex XIII to the Staff Regulations.
   
   The table below shows how the old grades correspond to the intermediate grades applicable between 1 May 2004 and 30 April 2006:

2.2. The first promotion exercise involving officials in grades A*12, B*10, C*6 and D*4

Until now, officials in grades A*12 (formerly A4), B*10 (formerly B1), C*6 (formerly C1) and D*4 (formerly D1) were excluded from each promotion exercise.

The Staff Regulations now offer new promotion possibilities for officials in these previously end of career grades. The 2005 promotion exercise will give effect to these possibilities for the first time.

An initial allocation of priority points to these officials was made in respect of 2004. The intentions of the Directors-General were published by DG ADMIN on 25.05.2005 (see Administrative Notice No36).

During the 2005 promotion exercise, officials in grades A*12, B*10, C*6 and D*4 may again be awarded priority points by their Directorate-General, this time in respect of 2005. They may also receive priority points in recognition of additional work undertaken in 2004 in the interest of the institution and transitional points, provided that they fulfil the conditions laid down by the general provisions for implementing Article 45.

The officials concerned may lodge an appeal with the promotion committees against the formal intentions regarding the award of priority points for 2004 and 2005, as well as against the proposals to award points for additional work in the interest of the institution.

2.3. Parental and family leave count as active employment

Articles 42a and 42b of the Staff Regulations introduce two new types of leave: parental leave and family leave. For the purposes of the promotion exercise, both these types of leave will be deemed periods of active employment. For the calculation of merit points, therefore, no prorata will be applied to the merit mark.

3. TIMETABLE FOR THE 2005 PROMOTION EXERCISE
    
   • May:
      
     • All officials will be able to access, via the 2005 promotion file in Sysper 2, their merit points (calculated in accordance with the methods described above) and transitional priority points awarded by the Appointing Authority.
        
   • June:
      
     • Directorates-General will submit any requests for exemption in the event that they exceed by more than one point the expected average merit marks covering 2004.
        
     • Directorates-General will inform their staff of the criteria for awarding priority points.
        
     • The joint working party will meet to examine any requests for exemption.
        
     • Directorates-General will submit to the Joint Evaluation Committees their proposals for awarding priority points.
        
   • July:
      
     • DG ADMIN will publish the formal intentions regarding the award of priority points, the lists of officials most deserving of promotion and the proposals on awarding points for additional work undertaken in the interest of the institution.
        
     • End of July: closing date for lodging appeals with the promotion committees.
        
   • September:
      
     • The promotion committees will meet.
        
   • October:
      
     • DG ADMIN will publish the lists of those whom the promotion committees consider most deserve promotion, the lists of those promoted and the list of those awarded points for additional work undertaken in the interest of the institution.

Further information on the promotion exercise can be found at: http://www.cc.cec/pers_admin/promotions/index_en.html.

ANNEX
Indicative promotion thresholds for 2005

As stated at point 1.4 above, the definitive promotion thresholds will not be established until the end of the promotion exercise, since they are determined by the number of promotions possible and the final list broken down by total points for each grade.

The indicative promotion thresholds which DG ADMIN is required to publish before the promotion exercise result from a statistical estimate based on a number of assumption about how the exercise will progress. It is the best estimate available.

The results are obtained from the largest group of officials, those paid from the operating budget, but they are also valid for those paid from other budgets.

As in previous years, the indicative thresholds may be exceeded by 0.5 to 1 point.

From now on, the basic grades A*7, B*5 and C*2 will have a fixed threshold: all staff who attain or exceed that threshold will be promoted – budget resources permitting. The other promotion thresholds will rise less sharply than was the case between the 2003 and 2004 promotion exercises.

The indicative thresholds and some reference information are given below.

TABLE OF INDICATIVE THRESHOLDS

Key to table:

• Column (1): indicative threshold for the 2005 promotion exercise.
   
• Column (2): average seniority in the grade among those promoted, ascertained over the period 2000 04.
   
• Column (3): the theoretical stable threshold is obtained by multiplying the average seniority in the grade among those promoted (column 2) by 17, which is a sound estimate of the average number of points awarded each year ⁽⁵⁾. The theoretical stable threshold gives the maximum number which could attain the threshold for the grade concerned during the transitional phase. It is likely that, for most grades, that maximum number will never be attained. This information relates only to officials recruited before 1 May 2004. For other officials, the promotion thresholds will result from implementing Article 6 of the Staff Regulations.
   
• Column (4): indicative threshold for 2005, expressed as a percentage of the theoretical stable threshold.
   
• Column (5): definitive promotion threshold for 2004.
   
• Column (6): difference between the indicative threshold for 2005 and the definitive threshold for 2004.

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Footnotes

⁽¹⁾ With the exception of certain specific cases such as officials who are not in active employment at the Commission when promotion decisions are taken, officials who obtained fewer than 10 merit points in the previous appraisal exercise, officials who are the subject of disciplinary procedures, etc.

⁽²⁾ When the promotion exercise is launched, this appeal procedure has in theory been exhausted.

⁽³⁾ There are three promotion committees: one for category A*, one for category B* and one for categories C* and D*. A promotion subcommittee has also been set up for staff paid from research appropriations in the general budget.

^(4), Lists containing, for each grade, the names of officials who are not more than five points below the promotion threshold and the names of officials who have reached or passed that threshold.

⁽⁵⁾ All points are taken into account to obtain this estimate.