CALL FOR APPLICATIONS FOR THE 2006 ATTESTATION PROCEDURE

• GENERAL PRINCIPLES
• ADMISSION CRITERIA
• HOW TO APPLY?
• DRAWING UP OF THE LIST OF APPLICANTS ADMITTED TO THE ATTESTATION PROCEDURE
• ATTESTATION OF APPLICANTS ADMITTED TO THE 2006 ATTESTATION PROCEDURE
• TRANSITIONAL PROVISIONS FOR THE 200 OFFICIALS SELECTED DURING THE 2005 ATTESTATION PROCEDURE BUT WHO WERE NOT ATTESTED IN 2006
• THE ROLE OF THE JOINT COMMITTEE IN MONITORING THE PROCEDURE
• CONTACT DETAILS
• TIMETABLE FOR THE 2006 ATTESTATION PROCEDURE
• PROTECTION OF PERSONAL DATA

The attestation procedure allows officials currently in the C* (AST I-7) and D* (AST I-5) career streams to access the B* career stream and become members of the assistants' function group (“function group AST”) with prospects of promotion to grade AST 11 without career restriction. This procedure was introduced by Article 10(3) of Annex XIII to the Staff Regulations.

The rules for implementing the attestation procedure have been considerably simplified in 2006 in the light of the experience gained during the first attestation exercise (2005). The implementing rules for the new procedure were adopted by the Commission Decision of 29 November 2006 .

On 14 December 2006, after consulting the joint attestation committee, the appointing authority adopted detailed rules for applying the admission criteria for the 2006 attestation exercise.

This Administrative Notice is a call for applications and officially launches the 2006 attestation procedure. It explains what the procedure involves, and sets out the various stages and the provisional timetable.

The deadline for submitting applications is 31 January 2007.
 

1. GENERAL PRINCIPLES
   
   1.1. Who can apply for attestation?
   
   Only officials in service in category C or D in the institutions before 1 May 2004 are eligible.
   
   C* and D* officials who were established after 30 April 2004 are not eligible. They are automatically members of function group AST without career restriction (career stream up to AST 11).
   
   1.2. What is the aim of attestation?
   
   C* and D* officials in service before 1 May 2004 belong to two different career streams which allow promotion up to no higher than grades AST 7 (C*7) and AST 5 (D*5) respectively.
   
   After attestation these officials will no longer be subject to this restriction: by becoming full members of function group AST, they will be able to compete for promotion up to grade 11 on the basis of their individual merit and their personal situation in terms of seniority and grade.
   
   The transition from one career stream to the other is horizontal (same grade and same step) and basic salary remains unchanged. The seniority acquired in the former career stream is maintained. The points accumulated in the "rucksack" ("sac à dos") are recalculated in order to maintain the same relative distance from the threshold (except for ex-C*7 and ex-D*5).
   
   1.3. The different stages of the procedure
   
   The attestation procedure implemented from 2006 now consists of only 3 stages:
    
   • publication of a call for applications;
      
   • drawing up of a list of applicants admitted to the attestation procedure on the basis of the admission criteria;
      
   • attestation of admitted officials on posts at "Administrative assistant" level (posts whose functions correspond to those of category ex-B*).
      
2. ADMISSION CRITERIA
   
   Once you have validated your application, DG ADMIN will check that it complies with the admission criteria laid down by the Commission Decision of 29 November 2006 supplemented by the decision of the appointing authority of 14 December 2006.
   
   In order to be admitted you must meet all the following criteria.
   
   2.1. Administrative status
   
   You may apply for attestation if:
    
   • you were a serving C* or D* official before 1 May 2004;
      
   • at the date of this call for applications, you are appointed to a permanent post at the Commission and are in active employment, on parental leave, on family leave or seconded in the interests of the service.
     
     You may not apply if during 2006 you are to be retired or your service is to be terminated by the Commission or if the Commission has granted you an invalidity allowance taking effect in 2006.

   2.2. Minimum seniority in C* or D* career streams
   
   As at 16 January 2007 you must have at least five years' seniority in category C* or D* or in a higher category. If you have less than five years’ seniority, your application will not be accepted.
   
   For the purpose of applying this criterion, seniority acquired in category C* or D* or in a higher category as an official or temporary staff member will be taken into account. Seniority as a temporary staff member will be taken into account even if there has been a break between the periods of work as a temporary staff member and as an official.
   
   Periods of work when seconded in the interests of the service or seconded at your own request (in another European institution, in a Community/ executive agency or in an organisation devoted to furthering the Community's interests) will be taken into account.
   
   Leave on personal grounds will not be taken into account.
   
   Seniority acquired in category C* or D*, as described above, will be referred to hereinafter as “type 1 professional experience”.
   
   2.3. Minimum level of education
   
   You must have a level of education at least equal to that required by Article 5(3)(a) indent i) of the Staff Regulations for appointment to the AST function group, i.e. "a level of post-secondary education attested by a diploma" (higher non-university degree or short university cycle of legal duration of at least 2 years). This level corresponds to column d) in the table of qualifications in Annex 1.
   
   However, if you do not have this level of education, your professional experience acquired in the institutions (even with a status other than official or temporary staff member) or outside the institutions may count towards your level of education. Such additional professional experience will be referred to hereinafter as “type 2 professional experience”.
   
   Education levels a) to c) can be supplemented as follows:
    

   LEVEL OF EDUCATION Level of your highest qualification (see Annex 1)	Minimum seniority C*/D*(type 1 experience)	Additional professional experience (type 2 experience)
   a) Primary education	5	years 9 years
   b) Secondary education (not giving access to higher education)		5 years
   c) Secondary education (giving access to higher education)		2 years
   d) Higher education (higher non-university degree or short university cycle of legal duration of at least 2 years)		0
   e) University level education of legal duration of at least 3 years
   f) University level education of at least 4 years
   g) University level education – Third stage

   Only studies certified by a diploma recognised by the Member State or third country in which it was issued – will be taken into account.
   
   Annex 1 contains an indicative and non-exhaustive list of diplomas by level of education.
   
   If you are unable to provide evidence of professional experience to compensate for a level of education and training level lower than level d), your application will not be accepted.
   
   2.4. “Potential” section in the Career Development Report (CDR)
   
   Your potential to perform "Administrative assistant" level functions must have been positively assessed under the “potential” heading completed at your request in the 2005 evaluation exercise, which is the latest finalised evaluation exercise
   
   Only CDRs relating to 2005 and covering at least 6 months will be taken into account for the purpose of applying this criterion.
   If your potential for performing higher level functions has not been positively assessed for 2005, your application will not be accepted.
   
   For the 2007 attestation exercise - which shall be launched at the latest in September 2007 -, the evaluation of the potential to perform functions of a higher level shall be one of the headings of the attestation application form. Therefore, the CDR shall no longer include a "potential" heading to be completed by the officials potentially interested in applying for the attestation.
   
   2.5. Level of performance
   
   You will not be admitted to the 2006 attestation procedure if your professional performance was assessed as inadequate or insufficient in your annual 2005 CDR.
   
   In accordance with the Commission Decision C(2004) 1597 of 28 April 2004 on maintaining individual professional standards, merit points of 9.5 or less equate to insufficiency. Assessment as "insufficient" or "poor" in one of the three CDR headings equates to inadequate performance.
    

3. HOW TO APPLY?
   
   3.1. Procedure and deadline for the submission of applications
   
   Applications must be made using the "Attestation" module in Sysper2. To access this module from the Sysper2 menu, click on the link "My attestation and certification history" under "Attestation & Certification". Then click "Apply for the 2006 attestation exercise".
   
   The closing date for submitting applications is 31 January 2007. If, for some reason, you are unable to access Sysper2 between the date on which this Administrative Notice is published and the closing date for applications, you may send a paper application (see specimen form in Annex 2) to the following address:
   

   European Commission
   Unit ADMIN A/6
   "Application for the attestation procedure"
   MO 34 5/15
   200 rue de la Loi
   B-1049 Brussels

   Paper application forms must be sent by 31 January 2007, as evidenced by the postmark. Paper application forms sent after that date will not be accepted unless you can provide proof that you were absent throughout the period between the date of publication of this Administrative Notice and the closing date for submitting applications.
   
   3.2. What information do you have to provide?
   
   Certain information is already recorded in Sysper2, in particular your experience in the Commission, your administrative status, your grade, and the "potential" headings in your CDRs. You must encode certain other information in the application. This information relates to:
    
   • Your level of education: You should indicate your highest qualification level, with reference to the table in Annex 1 to the call for applications; the title of the diploma; the date on which you obtained it and the body that issued it. Only studies certified by a diploma will be taken into account.
      
   • Your experience in the C* and D* or higher career streams as an official or temporary staff member in another European institution, in Community/executive agencies and in organisations devoted to furthering the Community's interests (“type 1 experience"): Sysper2 already contains the information on your career as an official or temporary staff member in the Commission so you do not need to include this in your application. However, you should indicate your experience as an official or temporary staff member in the other European institutions or agencies, specifying the periods of service, the institution to which you were assigned, the directorate-general and unit, and your status (temporary staff member or permanent official) and grade.
      
   • Other professional experience (“type 2 experience”): This type of experience may count towards your level of education. You should indicate any experience outside the institutions, as well as any experience within the institutions with a status other than official or temporary staff member, specifying the periods of employment, the duties performed, and the name and contact details of your employer.

   If necessary, you should complete your personal file, which must contain:
    

   • the original or a certified copy of your diploma, which must be officially recognised by the public authorities in the Member State or third country in which it was issued;
      
   • the original or a certified copy of statements from employers attesting your professional experience outside the European institutions.

   3.3. How to validate your application?
   
   Before validating your application in Sysper2, you can:
    

   • cancel it (click "Delete my application form"); or
      
   • add information to it; you must make sure to save the information entered each time you leave the application (click "Save my application form; I will sign it later").

   You have access at all times to your complete application containing the information you have entered as well as the information from Sysper2. You will be given the opportunity to check the content and change it if necessary before validating it.
   
   Your application will not be registered for consideration until you have signed it electronically (click "Validate and send my application form"). You will then receive confirmation.
   
   3.4. Verification of the information provided in the application forms
   
   DG ADMIN will systematically check the information provided by admitted applicants in their application forms against their personal files. This check will be made after publication of the final list of admitted applicants and at the latest when the requests for attestation are processed.
   
   If the information is not correct or if your personal file is incomplete, the qualification or experience indicated in your application will not be taken into account and attestation will not be granted.
   
   If you have omitted to mention a qualification or professional experience, this information will not be taken into account.
   You should therefore check carefully the information entered before validating your application and complete your personal file if necessary.
   
   Personal files are managed by ADMIN/B.3 (MO-34 MEZ/38, Tel. 53790).
    

4. DRAWING UP OF THE LIST OF APPLICANTS ADMITTED TO THE ATTESTATION PROCEDURE
   
   4.1. Publication of the draft list of applicants admitted to the attestation procedure
   
   On the basis of the information in the applications, a list of applicants who fulfil the criteria for admission will be drawn up by DG ADMIN. This list will be submitted to the joint attestation committee for an opinion and then published by the appointing authority as an administrative notice.
   
   Following publication of the list, you can check in your "Attestation" file in Sysper2 on how the information in your application was analysed.
   
   4.2. How to appeal?
   
   If you wish to challenge the decision to reject your application, you can lodge a reasoned appeal with the joint attestation committee.
   
   This should be done in Sysper2 (click "Launch an appeal") within ten working days of publication of the list of admitted applicants.
   
   Enter the reason for the appeal in the space provided (there is no limit on the length of the text). You can attach supporting documents by clicking "Annexes".
   
   If, for some reason, you are unable to access Sysper2, you may appeal by sending a letter stating the reasons for the appeal to the following address:
   

   European Commission
   Unit ADMIN A/6
   "Appeal – Attestation Procedure"
   MO 34 5/15
   200 rue de la Loi
   B-1049 Brussels

   This letter must also be sent within ten working days, as evidenced by the postmark.
   
   Once the joint committee has examined the appeals, the appointing authority will decide whether or not to accept your appeal.
   
   4.3. Publication of the final list of applicants admitted to the attestation procedure
   
   The appointing authority will adopt and publish the final list of officials admitted to the 2006 attestation procedure (the "attestables" officials).
    
5. ATTESTATION OF APPLICANTS ADMITTED TO THE 2006 ATTESTATION PROCEDURE
   
   5.1. Validity of the list
   
   The officials whose names are included on the final list of applicants admitted to the 2006 attestation procedure will be authorized to benefit from attestation, without any time limitation, subject to verification of the information provided in their applications (see 3.4 above). There is no longer a maximum number of attestations per year or per attestation exercise.
   
   5.2. How to be attested?
   
   Attestation implies that the functions performed by the attested official correspond to level ex-B*. In order to be attested, officials whose names are included on the final list of applicants admitted to the 2006 attestation procedure must be appointed to a post at "Administrative assistant" level, i.e. a post all the functions of which are at level ex-B*.
   
   To this end these officials will be authorised to apply for all "Administrative assistant" posts published by Commission departments.
   
   If the job description of the post occupied by one of these officials has been modified so that it comprises only level ex-B* functions, mobility will not be necessary and the official can be attested on his or her post.
   
   5.3. Special training module
   
   In order to consolidate the skills they require to perform tasks at "Administrative assistant" level, officials admitted to the attestation procedure will be offered the opportunity to follow a special training module taking account of the needs of the service to which they are assigned. Participation in this training module will not be considered a prerequisite for attestation.
   
   The content of the module will be indicated at the time of publication of the final list of applicants admitted to the 2006 attestation procedure.
    
6. TRANSITIONAL PROVISIONS FOR THE 200 OFFICIALS SELECTED DURING THE 2005 ATTESTATION PROCEDURE BUT WHO WERE NOT ATTESTED IN 2006
   
   The 200 officials selected as a result of the 2005 attestation procedure who were not attested in 2006 will be admitted provided they apply for the 2006 attestation procedure and meet the requirements in 2.1 above (i.e. had the required administrative status at the time of publication of the call for applications), even if their potential was not positively assessed in 2005.
    
7. THE ROLE OF THE JOINT COMMITTEE IN MONITORING THE PROCEDURE
   
   The new attestation procedure reinforces the role of the joint committee:
    
   • the committee will be consulted on the draft list of officials whose applications are considered to have been admitted and on the appeals lodged by applicants who have not been admitted;
      
   • the committee will be regularly briefed on the implementation of the procedure, the number of attestations, the profiles of the attested officials and attendance to the training module;
      
   • each year, the committee will adopt an opinion on the implementation of the attestation procedure, together with any recommendations it may wish to make to the appointing authority.
      
8. CONTACT DETAILS
   
   If you have any queries or difficulties in completing your application form, you can contact ADMIN/A.6:
   Tel.: 93640 or 93936 - Email: ADMIN PROCEDURE D'ATTESTATION – "Attestation" site on Intracomm (http://www.cc.cec/pers_admin/attestation/index_en.html)
    
9. TIMETABLE FOR THE 2006 ATTESTATION PROCEDURE
   
   The provisional timetable is as follows:
    
   • 31 January 2007: closing date for applications
      
   • Mid-February 2007: publication of the draft list of officials admitted to the attestation procedure following its submission to the joint committee for an opinion
      
   • Beginning of March 2007: meeting of the joint committee to analyse appeals lodged by non-admitted applicants
      
   • End of March/beginning of April 2007: publication of the final list of officials admitted to the 2006 attestation procedure
      
10. PROTECTION OF PERSONAL DATA
    
    Information on the processing of personal data under Regulation (EC) No 45/2001:
     
    • Data controller: Unit ADMIN/A.6
       
    • Purpose of processing: attestation procedure
       
    • Recipients: Unit ADMIN/A.6, appointing authority, members of the joint attestation committee, human resources managers
       
    • Questions in the application form marked with an asterisk (*) are compulsory.
       
    • Right to access and rectify data: once an application has been made, the applicant has access to all the information contained in it. Data can be rectified before the closing date for the validation of applications, but not after the application has been validated by the applicant.
       
    • Other information contained in the notification to the DPO covering Sysper2 – CDR professional appraisal
       
    • Applicants are entitled to have recourse at any time to the European Data Protection Supervisor.

Annexes:
1/ Table of qualifications 
2/ Application form in Word