ATTESTATION PROCEDURE, 2010 EXERCISE:

Call for applications

The attestation¹ procedure allows officials in the assistants' function group (herinafter "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 with prospects of promotion to grade AST11.

Simplified rules for implementing the attestation procedure were adopted by the Commission in 2006.² The 2010 attestation exercise is the fifth to be based on a procedure involving only one stage: admission.

• To be admitted, candidates should in particular have demonstrated their potential to take on the functions of "Administrative assistant" level (ex-B).
   
• An official who has satisfied the admission criteria becomes "attestable", without any time limit. He/she stays in their C or D career stream whilst waiting to be "attested" (no automatic attestation).
   
• An "attestable" official only becomes "attested" once he/she occupies an "Administrative assistant" post (ex-B), in other words a post with a job description type "Assistant", "Technical assistant" or "Team leader".

On 28th June 2010, after consulting the Joint Committee for the attestation procedure, the Appointing Authority adopted detailed rules for applying the admission criteria for the 2010 attestation exercise (Administrative Notice 40-2010).

This Administrative Notice is a call for applications and officially launches the 2010 attestation procedure. It explains what attestation is and sets out the procedure and provisional timetable for the 2010 exercise.

The deadline for submitting applications is 3rd September 2010 (evening).

1. GENERAL PRINCIPLES

1.1. Who is concerned by the attestation procedure?

Only officials in the C and D career paths who were in service in the institutions before 1 May 2004 are concerned.

AST officials who were established after 30 April 2004 are not concerned. 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 the attestation procedure?

Officials in the old B, C and D categories all became members of the same Assistants (AST) function group on 1st May 2004, albeit with distinct career streams: the ex-B grades have no career restrictions, the ex-C grades have their careers restricted at AST7 and the ex-D grades are restricted at AST5.

The attestation procedure is a transitory measure which allows officials in the restricted career streams to become full members of the AST function group and as a result be able to compete for promotion up to grade AST11 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 (the "attestables") on the basis of the admission criteria;
   
• attestation of admitted officials once they occupy posts at "Administrative assistant" level (ex-B level – posts with a job description type "Assistant", "Technical assistant" ("Assistant technique") or "Team leader" ("Chef d'équipe")).

2. ADMISSION CRITERIA

Once you have validated your application, DG HR will check that it complies with the admission criteria laid down by the Commission Decision of 29 November 2006 (Administrative Notice 55-2007), supplemented by the decision of the Appointing Authority of 28th June 2010 (Administrative Notice 40-2010).

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 2010 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 2010.

2.2. Minimum seniority

You must have, as at 16 January 2010, 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 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)(i) 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
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 (ex-B)

The professional experience shall be taken into account through the potential to perform higher level functions and/or tasks. For those in career streams C or D this effectively means "Administrative assistant" level, i.e. ex-B level (and not ex-C).

The demonstration of your potential must be positively assessed, which means that your superiors must acknowledge that in practice you satisfactorily performed "Administrative assistant" (ex-B) level functions and/or tasks during all or part of the period between 1 April 2007 and 31 March 2010.

The functions and tasks considered as being of "Administrative assistant" level are listed in Annex 3. In order to evaluate if you have demonstrated your potential, your hierarchy will take into account the functions and tasks that you have taken on and declared in your application, the amount of time you have spent on them, the quality of your performance, the level of responsibility as well as your ability to act and react in an autonomous manner. In particular, tasks and functions performed without taking the initiative or by following instructions are not considered as being of "Administrative assistant" level, unlike those requiring, for example, a certain degree of independence, pro-activeness, coordination, interpretation of instructions and advice (see also points 4.3 and 6.1).

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 is now assessed by your superiors during the attestation exercise, if you submit an application.

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.

2.5. Level of performance

You will not be admitted to the 2010 attestation exercise if your professional performance was assessed as insufficient in your evaluation report covering the year 2009.

Professional insufficiency is characterized by an evaluation at performance level IV.

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 2010 attestation exercise".

No link will be made between applications completed by the same applicant during previous attestation exercises. Applicants must therefore complete all the sections again.

The closing date for submitting applications is 3^rd September 2010 (evening). 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 HR.B.4
"Application for the attestation procedure"
MO 34 5/26
B-1049 Brussels

Paper application forms must be sent at the latest on 3rd September 2010, 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 as an official or temporary agent, 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. Your 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 professional 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 your potential to perform "Administrative assistant" (ex-B) level functions and/or tasks

You should mention in your application any occasions during all or part of the reference period (between 1 April 2007 and 31 March 2010) 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 – as defined on the day you sign your application form – will then assess this demonstration of your potential to work as an "Administrative assistant" (ex-B) on the basis of the functions and tasks that you have taken on and declared in your application, the amount of time you have spent on them, the quality of your performance, the level of responsibility as well as your ability to act and react in an autonomous manner. In particular, tasks and functions performed without taking the initiative or by following instructions are not considered as being of "Administrative assistant" level, unlike those requiring, for example, a certain degree of independence, pro-activeness, coordination, interpretation of instructions and advice.

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 evaluation reports 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. FOLLOWING STEP: DRAWING UP THE LIST OF APPLICANTS ADMITTED TO THE ATTESTATION PROCEDURE

6.1. Appraisal of the demonstration of your potential to perform functions and/or tasks of an "Administrative assistant" (ex-B) 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" (ex-B) 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 evaluation reports, on possible remarks contained in former application forms, 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, especially in case his/her evaluation is unfavourable.

Your reporting officer, your countersigning officer and the head of human resources in your DG will be given access to only two sections of your 2010 application form: the one relating to the demonstration of your potential and the one containing any annexes. Access will only be granted as from the beginning of the consultation period of reporting officers and countersigning officers (see the calendar in point 10).

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 HR. This list will be submitted to the Joint 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, insufficient performance.

6.3. Appeal possibility

If you wish to challenge the non-admission of your application, you can lodge a reasoned appeal with the Joint Committee. This will have to be done in Sysper2 within ten working days of publication of the draft list of admitted applicants. Instructions on how to appeal will be communicated to staff when the draft list of admitted candidates is published.

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 (the "attestables")

Once all the appeals have been heard, the Appointing Authority will adopt and publish the final list of officials admitted to the 2010 attestation procedure.

7. LAST STEP: ATTESTATION OF APPLICANTS ADMITTED TO THE ATTESTATION PROCEDURE

7.1. Validity of the list

The officials whose names are included on the final list of applicants admitted to the 2010 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 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" (ex-B) level. In order to be attested, officials whose names are included on the final list of applications admitted to the 2010 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 services.

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 2010 attestation procedure.

8. VERIFICATION OF THE INFORMATION IN YOUR APPLICATION FORM

DG HR 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 HR.B.1 (SC-11 3/63, Tel. 52151).

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 the implementation of the attestation procedure, together with any recommendations it may wish to make to the Appointing Authority.

10. TIMETABLE FOR THE 2010 ATTESTATION PROCEDURE

The provisional timetable is as follows:

• 3rd September 2010: closing date for applications;
   
• Second half of September 2010: 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;
   
• October 2010: publication of the draft list of officials admitted to the attestation procedure following its submission to the Joint Committee for an opinion;
   
• October/November 2010: meeting of the Joint Committee to analyse appeals by applicants not admitted;
   
• November/December 2010: publication of the final list of officials admitted to the 2010 attestation procedure.

11. PROTECTION OF PERSONAL DATA

Information on the processing of personal data under Regulation (EC) No 45/2001⁴:

• Identity of the controller: Unit HR.B.4.
   
• Purpose of processing: attestation procedure.
   
• Recipients: Unit HR.B.4, Appointing Authority, members of the Joint 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.
   

12. CONTACT DETAILS

If you have any queries or difficulties in completing your application form, you can contact unit HR.B.4:

Tel.: 93640 & 93936
E-mail: HR PROCEDURE D'ATTESTATION
"Attestation" site on My IntraComm: http://myintracomm.ec.europa.eu/hr_admin/en/attestation/Pages/index.aspx

Annexes:

1/ Non-exhaustive table of EU27 qualifications by level of education (de en fr) 2/ Application form in Word (en fr) 3/ Reference list of tasks and functions considered as being of "Administrative assistant" level (de en fr)

_________
Footnotes

⁽¹⁾ This procedure was introduced by Article 10(3) of Annex XIII to the Staff Regulations.
⁽²⁾ Commission Decision on the implementation of the attestation procedure, C(2006)5788 of 29 November 2006 – published in Administrative Notice 55-2007.
⁽³⁾ See final lists of admitted candidates published in the following Administrative Notices: 30-2007 (1450 officials admitted to the 2006 exercise), 17-2008 (532 officials admitted to the 2007 exercise), 19-2009 (388 officials admitted to the 2008 exercise) and 74-2009 (308 officials admitted to the 2009 exercise).
⁽⁴⁾ Règlement (CE) n° 45/2001 du Parlement européen et du Conseil du 18 décembre 2000 relatif à la protection des personnes physiques à l'égard du traitement des données à caractère personnel par les institutions et organes communautaires et à la libre circulation de ces données (JO L 8 du 12.1.2001, p. 1–22).