ATTESTATION PROCEDURE, 2007 EXERCISE
CALL FOR APPLICATIONS

• GENERAL PRINCIPLES
• ADMISSION CRITERIA
• HOW TO APPLY
• WHAT INFORMATION DO YOU HAVE TO PROVIDE?
• HOW TO SIGN YOUR APPLICATION
• DRAWING UP THE LIST OF APPLICANTS ADMITTED TO THE ATTESTATION PROCEDURE
• ATTESTATION OF APPLICANTS ADMITTED TO THE 2007 ATTESTATION PROCEDURE
• VERIFICATION OF THE INFORMATION IN YOUR APPLICATION FORM
• THE ROLE OF THE JOINT COMMITTEE IN MONITORING THE PROCEDURE
• CONTACT DETAILS
• TIMETABLE FOR THE 2007 ATTESTATION PROCEDURE
• PROTECTION OF PERSONAL DATA

The attestation procedure allows officials in the assistants' function group (AST) who are currently in the former C* (AST I-7) and D* (AST I-5) career streams to access the former B* career stream and become members of the assistants' function group (hereinafter “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.

Simplified rules for implementing the attestation procedure were adopted by the Commission Decision of 29 November 2006 . The 2007 attestation exercise is the second to be based on a procedure involving only one stage: admission. All applicants who satisfy the admission criteria may benefit from attestation, without any time limit, provided they have been appointed to an "Administrative assistant" level post.
 
On 18 October 2007 (IA 45-2007), after consulting the joint attestation committee, the appointing authority adopted detailed rules for applying the admission criteria for the 2007 attestation exercise.

This Administrative Notice is a call for applications and officially launches the 2007 attestation procedure. It explains what attestation is and sets out the procedure and provisional timetable for the 2007 exercise.

The deadline for submitting applications is 30 November 2007.

1. GENERAL PRINCIPLES
   
   1.1. Who can apply for attestation?
   
   Only ex-C* and ex-D* officials who were in service in the institutions before 1 May 2004 are eligible.
   Ex-C* and ex-D* officials who were established after 30 April 2004 are not eligible. These officials are automatically members of the function group AST without career restrictions (with the possibility of promotion up to AST11).
   
   1.2. What is the aim of attestation?
   
   Ex-C* and ex-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 (ex-C*7) and AST 5 (ex-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 since 2006 consists of the following 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 all 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 18 October 2007 (IA 45-2007).
   
   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 2007 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 2007.
   
   2.2. Minimum seniority in category C/C* or C/D*
   
   As at 16 January 2008 you must have at least five years' seniority in category C/C* or D/D* or in a higher category. If you have less than five years’ seniority, your application will not be admitted.
   
   For the purpose of applying this criterion, seniority acquired in category C/C* or C/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/C* or C/D*, as described above, will be referred to hereinafter and in your application 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) of the Staff Regulations for appointment to the function group AST , i.e. "a level of post-secondary education attested by a diploma" (higher non-university degree or short university cycle of a 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, you may still be eligible for attestation on the basis of professional experience acquired in the institutions (even with a status other than official or temporary staff member) or outside the institutions. Such additional professional experience used to count towards level of education will be referred to hereinafter and in your application 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 a legal duration of at least 2 years)		0
   e) University level education of a legal duration of at least 3 years
   f) University level education of a legal duration of at least 4 years
   g) University level education – third stage

   Only studies certified by a title/diploma - recognised by the Member State or third country in which it was issued – obtained by the candidate 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 lower than level d), your application will not be accepted.
   
   2.4. Demonstration of potential to perform "Administrative assistant" level functions (ex-B*)
   
   The demonstration of your potential to perform "Administrative assistant" level functions and/or tasks must be positively assessed, which means that your superiors must acknowledge that in practice you satisfactorily performed "Administrative assistant" level functions and/or tasks during all or part of the period between 1 October 2004 and 30 September 2007.
   
   If the demonstration of your potential to perform functions of a higher category is not favourably assessed your application will not be admitted.
   
   Up until the 2006 exercise, the demonstration of potential was one of the headings in the CDR. This is no longer the case. The demonstration of your potential to perform tasks and/or functions of a higher category is now assessed by your superiors during the attestation exercise, if you submit an application.
   
   2.5. Level of performance
   
   You will not be admitted to the 2007 attestation procedure if your professional performance was assessed as inadequate or insufficient in your 2006 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
   
   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 2007 attestation exercise".
   The closing date for submitting applications is 30 November 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 30 November 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.

4. WHAT INFORMATION DO YOU HAVE TO PROVIDE?
   
   Some information, such as your experience in the Commission, your administrative status and grade, is already recorded in Sysper2. You must encode certain other information in the application. This information relates to the following:
   
   4.1. Your level of education
   
   You should indicate your highest qualification, with reference to the table in Annex 1 to this call for applications; the title of the diploma; the date on which you obtained it and the body that issued it.
   
   Regardless of the level of education, only studies certified by an academic diploma - recognised by the Member State or third country in which it was issued – will be taken into account.
   
   You must mention at least one diploma in the "Studies" section of the application form. This information will be used to determine whether you must have more than 5 years' seniority (see point 2.3).
   
   4.2. Professional experience other than that acquired as an official or temporary staff member in the Commission
   
   To enable us to calculate your total seniority and, if necessary, to supplement your level of education, please indicate your type 1 and type 2 professional experience as follows. There is no need to enter your experience as an official or temporary staff member in the Commission because this information will automatically be extracted from Sysper2 and taken into account.

4.2.1. Professional experience in another European institution, in a Community/executive agency or in an organisation devoted to furthering the Community's interests ("Type 1 professional experience")

You should indicate your experience in the C/C* and D/D* or higher career streams as an official or temporary staff member in the European institutions (other than the Commission), the Community/executive agencies and the organisations devoted to furthering the Community's interests. These periods will be added to the seniority you have acquired within the Commission (see point 2.2).

Sysper2 already contains the information on your career as a Commission official or temporary staff member 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 work, the institution to which you were assigned, the directorate-general and unit, and your status (temporary staff member or permanent official) and grade.

4.2.2. Other professional experience (“Type 2 professional experience”)

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 the employer.
This type of experience may count towards your level of education (see point 2.3). Even if you do not have to supplement your level of education we suggest you mention any professional experience that could be taken into account.

4.3. Demonstration of potential to perform "Administrative assistant" level (ex-B*) functions and/or tasks

You should mention in your application any occasions during the reference period (between 1 October 2004 and 30 September 2007) when you consider that you demonstrated your potential to perform "Administrative assistant" level functions and/or tasks, as referred to in the list of tasks and functions primarily performed by ex-B* officials (see Annex 3) . Each task or function performed should be entered separately in the corresponding section of the application form ("Declare as task/function of "Administrative assistant" level). At least one declaration should be entered in this section.

For each entry you much specify the period (which must include at least part of the reference period), the institution, DG/Service, job title, category, administrative status, function or task. You must also give a detailed description and one or more contact persons.

Your reporting officer and countersigning officer will then assess this demonstration of your potential on the basis of the functions and/or tasks you have declared on your application form, the amount of working time devoted to them, the quality of the services provided, the level of responsibility and your ability to act and react independently. Please note that it is not the number of functions and/or tasks performed that will be taken into account, but the quality and relevance of the professional experience and the information provided.

Your relevant professional experience may have been gained within the Commission, in another institution or agency or in an organisation devoted to furthering the Community's interests. In the case of experience outside the Commission you may attach supporting documents. However, we recommend that you limit the number of annexes to those that are strictly relevant and clearly indicate their contents in the box marked "Title of the attachment".

4.4. Annexes (not mandatory)

If you annex any document to support the demonstration of your potential, the number of documents should be strictly limited. The quality and relevance of the information you supply will be taken into consideration when assessing the demonstration of your potential. Be sure to indicate the contents of the annexes in the box marked "Title of the attachment".

There is no need to annex all or part of the CDRs produced by the Commission departments because these are available to your superiors in Sysper2.

Ideally, documents should be annexed in PDF format. For your information, you can obtain a PDF version of a document by e-mailing it to the EC PDF CODE WEB functional mailbox.

5. HOW TO SIGN YOUR APPLICATION
   
   Up until the moment you sign your application in Sysper2, you can:

• cancel it (click "Delete my application form"); or
   
• fill in the form in stages. You can enter and save data as you go along.
  
  You have access at all times to your completed application form, containing the details you have entered as well as the information from Sysper2. You can check the content and change it if necessary before signing it.
  
  Your application will not be registered and examined until you have signed it electronically (click on "Sign and send my application form"). The date on which you signed your application will then appear in the "Summary" tab. The name of your reporting officer and countersigning officer will also appear here. They will be responsible for assessing whether you have demonstrated potential.

6. DRAWING UP THE LIST OF APPLICANTS ADMITTED TO THE ATTESTATION PROCEDURE
   
   6.1. Assessment of the demonstration of your potential by your reporting officer and countersigning officer
   
   Once you have signed your application form, your reporting officer and countersigning officer (the people holding these positions on the day you sign your application) will be asked to assess whether you have demonstrated the potential to perform tasks and/or functions at "Administrative assistant" level. A favourable assessment on their part is one of the conditions for admission to the attestation procedure (see point 2.4).
   
   Their assessment will be based on the "Administrative assistant" level functions and/or tasks you have declared on your application form, the amount of working time devoted to them, the quality of the services provided, the level of responsibility and your ability to act and react independently. It is not the number of functions and/or tasks performed that will be taken into account, but the quality and relevance of the professional experience and the information provided.
   
   First, your reporting officer will be asked to comment on the information you have given on your application form. Then your countersigning officer will be asked to assess whether or not you have demonstrated your potential during the reference period. If the countersigning officer disagrees with your reporting officer, he or she will have to state the reasons for this difference of opinion.
    
   Your reporting officer, your countersigning officer and the head of human resources in your DG or Service will be given access to only two sections of your 2007 application form: the one relating to the demonstration of your potential and the one containing any annexes. Access will be granted only after 30 November 2007.
   
   You will be able to access your reporting officer's comments and the countersigning officer's assessment in your "Attestation" file in Sysper2 as soon as the draft list of applicants admitted to the attestation exercise has been published.
   
   6.2. Publication of the draft list of applicants admitted to the attestation procedure
   
   On the basis of the information in the applications, a draft 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.
   
   Once this has been published you will be able to look in your Attestation file in Sysper2 and see how the information in your application form has been evaluated, how your superiors have assessed the demonstration of your potential and, where appropriate, the reason for rejecting your application. Based on the admission criteria (see points 2.1 to 2.5), the reasons might be: insufficient seniority, inadequate level of education, unfavourable assessment of the demonstration of potential, inadequate performance.
   
   6.3. How to appeal
   
   If you wish to challenge the non-admission of 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 draft 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.

6.4. Publication of the final list of applicants admitted to the attestation procedure

Once all the appeals have been heard, the appointing authority will adopt and publish the final list of officials admitted to the 2007 attestation procedure.

7. ATTESTATION OF APPLICANTS ADMITTED TO THE 2007 ATTESTATION PROCEDURE
   
   7.1. Validity of the list
   
   The officials whose names are included on the final list of applicants admitted to the 2007 attestation procedure will be eligible for attestation, without any time limitation, subject to verification of the information provided in their applications (see point 8). There is no maximum number of attestations per year, per DG/Service or per attestation exercise.
   
   7.2. How to be attested
   
   Attestation implies that all 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 applications admitted to the 2007 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 description of the post occupied by one of these officials has already been recognised as being of "Administrative assistant" level, or if it has been modified so that it comprises only ex-B* level functions, mobility will not be necessary and the official can be attested on that post.
   
   7.3. Training recommended for officials admitted to the attestation procedure
   
   In order to consolidate the skills they require to perform tasks at "Administrative assistant" level, officials admitted to the attestation procedure will be encouraged to take training courses to enable them to acquire or supplement the skills necessary for performing such tasks, taking account of their specific training needs and the requirements of the service to which they are assigned. Participation in these training courses is not a prerequisite for attestation.
   
   The list of recommended training will be indicated at the time of publication of the final list of applicants admitted to the 2007 attestation procedure.
    
8. VERIFICATION OF THE INFORMATION IN YOUR APPLICATION FORM
   
   NB: DG ADMIN will systematically check the information provided by admitted applicants in their applications 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. The sole purpose of this check is to ensure that the information given by the applicant is consistent with the data in his or her personal file. Under no circumstances will it be possible to add any information or professional experience that the applicant has omitted to mention.
   
   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.
   
   You should therefore carefully check the information entered before validating your application and complete your personal file if necessary. The file should, for example, contain:
    
   • the original or a certified copy of your qualification/title/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.
     Personal files are managed by ADMIN/B.3 (MO-34 MEZ/38, Tel. 53790).
      
9. 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 informed on implementation of the procedure, the number of attestations, the profiles of the attested officials and monitoring of the training module;
      
   • each year, the committee will adopt an opinion on implementation of the attestation procedure, together with any recommendations it may wish to make to the appointing authority.
      
10. CONTACT DETAILS
    
    If you have any queries or difficulties in completing your application form, you can contact ADMIN/A.6:
    
    Tel.: 93640 or 93936 - E-mail: ADMIN PROCEDURE D'ATTESTATION "Attestation" site on Intracomm http://www.cc.cec/pers_admin/attestation/index_en.html
     
11. TIMETABLE FOR THE 2007 ATTESTATION PROCEDURE
    
    The provisional timetable is as follows:
     
    • 30 November 2007: closing date for applications;
       
    • December 2007: consultation of reporting officers and countersigning officers to assess the demonstration of the applicants' potential to perform these "Administrative assistant" level functions and/or tasks;
       
    • January 2007: publication of the draft list of officials admitted to the attestation procedure following its submission to the joint committee for an opinion;
       
    • February 2007: meeting of the joint committee to analyse appeals by applicants not admitted;
       
    • End of February 2007: publication of the final list of officials admitted to the 2007 attestation procedure.
       
12. PROTECTION OF PERSONAL DATA
     
    Information on the processing of personal data under Regulation (EC) No 45/2001:
     
    • Identity of the 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; reporting officers and countersigning officers (for the section on demonstration of potential and annexes only).
       
    • 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 3/ List of tasks and functions primarily performed by ex-B* officials.