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ATTESTATION PROCEDURE, 2008 EXERCISE:
Call for applications
The attestation procedure allows officials in the assistants' function group
(AST) who are currently in the C (AST1-7) and D (AST1-5) career streams to access
the career stream with no restriction and become members of the assistants'
function group (hereinafter “function group AST”) with prospects of promotion
to grade AST11. 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 (IA
55-2007). The 2008 attestation exercise is the third 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 25 September 2008 (l'IA 40_2008),
after consulting the joint attestation committee, the appointing authority adopted
detailed rules for applying the admission criteria for the 2008 attestation
exercise.
This Administrative Notice is a call for applications and officially launches
the 2008 attestation procedure. It explains what attestation is and sets
out the procedure and provisional timetable for the 2008 exercise.
The deadline for submitting applications is 7 November 2008.
NB
- The 1450 officials admitted to the 2006 attestation exercise and
the 532 officials admitted to the 2007 attestation exercise do not have
to apply for attestation (see final lists –
IA 30-2007 and
IA 17-2008 ). The right to benefit from
the attestation procedure which they have already acquired is not subject
to any time limit.
- The attention of the candidates and of the relevant reporting and
countersigning officers is drawn to the importance of the evaluation of
the demonstration of the potential to perform "Administrative assistant"
level tasks and functions. The admission of the candidates and their access
to the career path without restrictions depends in particular on this
evaluation. Evaluations should be motivated and the requested declarations,
comments and evaluations should be clear, precise and complete.
- No link will be made between applications completed by the same applicant
during previous attestation exercises. Applicants must therefore complete
all the sections again.
- To be valid, applications must be signed by the applicant in Sysper2
by the deadline specified (see point 5).
- In the event of omission or error, no changes to the application can
be accepted once it has been signed.
- DG ADMIN will systematically check the information given by the applicants
in their application forms against the data in their personal files. These
checks will be carried out after the final list of those admitted to the
procedure has been published (and at the latest when the requests for
attestation are processed). Under no circumstances will any information
that the applicant has omitted to mention be taken into account (see point
8).
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- GENERAL PRINCIPLES
1.1. Who can apply for attestation?
Only officials in the C and D career paths who were in service in the institutions
before 1 May 2004 are eligible.
AST 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?
Officials in the C and D career paths in service before 1 May 2004 belong
to two different career streams which allow promotion up to no higher than
grades AST7 and AST5 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.
1.3. What consequences for the career?
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 AST7 in the C career path and AST5 in the D
career path. For these two grades, no promotion is possible in the C and D
career paths. There is no promotion threshold: the points accumulated before
attestation are therefore cancelled.
1.4. 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 with a job description type "Assistant", "Technical assistant"
("Assistant technique") or "Team leader" ("Chef d'équipe")).
- 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 (l'IA 55-2007), supplemented by
the decision of the appointing authority of 25 September 2008 (l'IA
40_2008).
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 official in the C or D career path 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 2008 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 2008.
2.2. Minimum seniority in C or D career path
As at 16 January 2009 you must have at least 5 years' seniority
in C or D career path – 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 C or D career
path – 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 C or D career path, 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 C/D seniority
(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 & third stage |
| 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 country
and 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. Professional experience: demonstration of the potential to perform
"Administrative assistant" level functions and/or tasks
The professional experience shall be taken into account through the potential
to perform "Administrative assistant" level functions and/or tasks. The demonstration
of your potential 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 September 2005 and 31 August 2008. These functions and tasks
are listed in Annex 3.
If the demonstration of your potential to perform functions and/or tasks of
a higher level 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 career development report (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 2008 attestation procedure if your professional
performance was assessed as inadequate or insufficient in your annual 2007
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.
- 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 2008
attestation exercise".
The closing date for submitting applications is 7 November 2008. 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
B-1049 Brussels
Paper application forms must be sent by 7 November 2008, 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.
- 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 and 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).
You should specify 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. You should specify 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 functions and/or tasks
You should mention in your application any occasions during the reference
period (between 1 September 2005 and 31 August 2008) 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
performed by AST officials with no career restrictions (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 must specify the period (which must include at least part
of the reference period), the institution, DG/Service, job title, function
group and career path, 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".
It is important to make sure that your job description is updated to reflect
the tasks and functions which you perform, including those of "Administrative
assistant" level.
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.
- 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.
- FOLLOWING STEP: DRAWING UP THE LIST OF APPLICANTS ADMITTED TO THE ATTESTATION
PROCEDURE
6.1. Appraisal 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 in your application form, on the amount of
working time devoted to them, on the quality of the services provided, on
the CDRs, on the level of responsibility and on 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 in a clear,
precise and complete way on the information you have given in your application
form. Then your countersigning officer will be asked to assess
whether or not you have demonstrated your potential during the reference
period, on the basis of the information available. Your countersigning officer
must provide a clear and precise motivation in case his/her evaluation is
unfavourable.
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 2008 application form: the one relating to the demonstration of your
potential and the one containing any annexes. Access will be granted only
after 7 November 2008.
You will be able to access your reporting officer's comments and the countersigning
officer's assessment in your Attestation application 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 will have
to be done in Sysper2 within ten working days of publication of the
draft list of admitted applicants.
You will have to enter the reason for the appeal in the space provided (there
is no limit on the length of the text) and attach supporting documents by
clicking "Annexes".
If, for some reason, you are unable to access Sysper2, you will have the possibility
to 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
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 2008 attestation
procedure.
- LAST STEP: ATTESTATION OF APPLICANTS ADMITTED TO THE 2008 ATTESTATION
PROCEDURE
7.1. Validity of the list
The officials whose names are included on the final list of applicants
admitted to the 2008 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 "Administrative assistant" level. In order to be attested, officials
whose names are included on the final list of applications admitted to the
2008 attestation procedure must be appointed to a post at "Administrative
assistant" level (with a job description type "Assistant", "Technical assistant"
("Assistant technique") or "Team leader" ("Chef d'équipe")).
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 functions of that level and is recognised
as such, 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 2008 attestation procedure.
- VERIFICATION OF THE INFORMATION IN YOUR APPLICATION FORM
DG ADMIN will systematically check the information provided by an admitted
applicant in his/her application against his/her personal file. This check
will be made after publication of the final list of admitted applicants and
at the latest when a request for his/her attestation is received and processed.
The sole purpose of this check is to ensure that the information given by
the applicant is consistent with the data in his/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 the personal file is incomplete,
the qualification or experience indicated in the 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 the qualification(s)/title(s)/diploma(s)
you declare in your attestation application form; they must be officially
recognised by the public authorities in the Member State or third country
in which issued;
- the original or a certified copy of statements from employers attesting
the professional experience outside the European institutions you mention
in your attestation application form.
Personal files are managed by ADMIN/B.3 (SC-11 3/63, Tel. 53790).
- 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.
- CONTACT DETAILS
If you have any queries or difficulties in completing your application form,
you can contact ADMIN/A.6:
Tel.: 93640 – E-mail: ADMIN
PROCEDURE D'ATTESTATION "Attestation"
site on Intracomm
http://www.cc.cec/pers_admin/attestation/index_en.html
- TIMETABLE FOR THE 2007 ATTESTATION PROCEDURE
The provisional timetable is as follows:
- 7 November 2008: closing date for applications;
- November & December 2008: 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;
- End of December 2008: publication of the draft list of officials admitted
to the attestation procedure following its submission to the joint committee
for an opinion;
- End of January 2009: meeting of the joint committee to analyse appeals
by applicants not admitted;
- February 2009: publication of the final list of officials admitted to
the 2008 attestation procedure.
- PROTECTION OF PERSONAL DATA
Information on the processing of personal data under Regulation (EC) No 45/2001:
(1)
- 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.
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Footnotes
(1) Regulation (EC) No 45/2001 of the
European Parliament and of the Council of 18 December 2000 on the protection
of individuals with regard to the processing of personal data by the Community
institutions and bodies and on the free movement of such data (JO L 8 of 12.1.2001,
p. 1–22)
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