Elections to the European Parliament in June 2009

Participation of officials and other staff in the election campaign

The elections to the European Parliament will take place from 4 to 7 June 2009. This Administrative Notice concerns officials and other staff who want to participate in the election campaign.

At its meeting of 8 April 2009, the Commission adopted a Decision on this subject (see the text below), which took effect on 9 April 2009.

The conduct of officials and other staff during the European election campaign in June 2009

1. Introduction:
    

   1.1.	The Commission’s general approach is not to object to staff participating in the election campaign if they so wish, but on two conditions:

    
   • Officials must make a clear, public distinction between their private capacity as campaigners and their official functions.
      
   • Particular care must also be taken to comply with the general rules which require staff to exercise due prudence and discretion at all times as regards information that comes into their possession in the course of their duties, and to abstain from any action or public expression of opinion that might reflect badly on their position. All staff must also bear in mind that the Member States have very differing attitudes towards the participation of public servants in election campaigns.
      

   1.2.	The statutory provisions on which this approach is based (Articles 11, 11a, 12, 15, 17 and 17a of the Staff Regulations) accordingly apply to staff involved in the campaign preceding the elections to the European Parliament.

2. Officials and other staff standing as CANDIDATES:
    

   2.1.	Leave for campaign activities:

   2.1.1.	Activities connected with the election campaign must be pursued outside working hours. Consequently, in the period preceding the official election campaign, officials and other staff who are candidates and campaign actively can meet their electoral commitments either by applying for a maximum of three months’ leave on personal grounds(1), if their duties permit, or by campaigning at weekends and outside working hours or by using their annual leave.
   2.1.2	In any event, officials and other staff standing as candidates are required to apply for leave on personal grounds for a period of one month before polling day. Decisions derogating from this rule can be made for officials and agents who declare that they will not actively take part in the campaign, in particular because of their position on the list of candidates.
   2.1.3.	Officials and other staff who have been selected as candidates must immediately inform DG ADMIN, Unit ADMIN.B.3, “Conditions of employment, non-pecuniary rights and obligations, Adminfo”. (contact person: Mrs SEMERARO,, SC 11 3/026, tel. 59882).

   2.2.

   Publications: Candidates wishing to publish campaign materials (election manifestos, posters, newspaper articles, etc.) either individually or with fellow-candidates are authorised to sign or publish such material on their own responsibility, on condition that they do so as candidates and not as officials. This authorisation applies only to the period between selection as a candidate and the date of the election.

   2.3.

   Staff who are elected:

   2.3.1.	Officials are reminded that, if elected, they are required to take leave on personal grounds for the term of their elected office, the demands of which are incompatible with their continuing in active employment.
   2.3.2.	Temporary staff and contract staff, if elected, are also subject to this rule and are required to take leave on personal grounds for the term of their elected office; the duration of such leave shall, however, be limited to the remainder of the term of the contract (Articles 11 and 81 of the Conditions of Employment of Other Servants.
   2.3.3.	Staff who are elected must immediately inform DG ADMIN, Unit B.3 “Conditions of employment, non-pecuniary rights and obligations, Adminfo” (contact person: Mrs SEMERARO, SC 11 3/026, tel. 59882).

3. Staff involved in the election campaign who are NOT CANDIDATES:
   
   The political activities of staff who are not standing for election must be pursued in a strictly private capacity and so outside working hours, at weekends or during annual leave. The provisions of the Staff Regulations referred to above must be complied with to the letter.
    
4. Official activities connected with the election campaign: missions
    

   4.1.

   Without prejudice to the Commission's normal information activities, staff are not allowed to take part in the election campaign in an official capacity. Any staff members wishing to participate in a campaign event in an official capacity must ask for permission not only from their immediate superiors in the usual way but also from the President and the Member of the Commission responsible for personnel and administration. Duly justified applications should therefore be sent to the Director-General of the Directorate-General “Personnel and Administration”, who will handle the necessary formalities.

   4.2.

   Missions: missions to participate in the campaign in a private capacity (as someone standing for election or otherwise) will not be granted;   authorisation for official missions involving activities connected with the campaign will be subject to approval as described in paragraph 4.1.