asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs if he will make a statement on the system of appointment of officials and civil service of the EEC; why changes are made with the appointment of a new commission and commissioners; and if there are any proposals to change the present system of appointments.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - EEC Appointments.
46.
(Cavan) (for the Minister for Foreign Affairs): The provisions governing the appointment of officials in the European Economic Community are laid down in the Staff Regulations of Officials and the Conditions of Employment of Other Servants of the European Communities applicable from 5th March, 1968. Article 29 of the Staff Regulations of Officials of the European Communities, which deals specifically with the system of appointment, states, and I quote:
"1. Before filling a vacant post in an institution, the appointing authority shall first consider:
(a) whether the post can be filled by promotion or transfer within the institutions;
(b) whether to hold competitions internal to the institution;
(c) what applications for transfer have been made by officials of other institutions of the three European Communities;
and then follow the procedure for competitions on the basis either of qualifications or of tests, or of both qualifications and tests. Annex III lays down the competition procedure.
This procedure may likewise be followed for the purpose of constituting a reserve for future recruitment.
2. A procedure other than the competition procedure may be adopted by the appointing authority for the recruitment of Grade A1 or A2 officials and, in exceptional cases, also for recruitment to posts which require special qualifications."
The appointment of officials in the EEC is thus entirely the responsibility of the particular Community authority concerned, i.e. the Commission, the Council, the Court of Justice or the European Parliament, as the case may be, and the member states have no function in the matter. In the case of very high level appointments to posts of Director-General, A1 Grade, or Director, A2 Grade, where a Community institution is considering the appointment of a national of a particular member state to fill a vacancy at this level it may, and in practice frequently does, consult with the authorities in the member of state concerned before making its appointment. Such consultation, however, does not limit the powers of that institution to make its own appointment.
With regard to the second part of the Deputy's question as to why changes are made with the appointment of a new Commission or Commissioners, I should point out that any such changes are an internal matter of the organisation of the Commission and as such are the responsibility of the Commission and do not involve the member states.
Finally, I am not aware of any proposals to change the present system of appointing officials to the Community institutions.