Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 14 July 2020
463. Deputy Neale Richmond asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the number of Irish citizens who completed an official traineeship in the European Commission in each of the years 2015 to 2019 and to date in 2020; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15102/20]
View answer464. Deputy Neale Richmond asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the number of Irish citizens who undertook the EU Concours competition in each of the years 2015 to 2019 and to date in 2020; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15103/20]
View answer465. Deputy Neale Richmond asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the number of Irish citizens who passed the EU Concours competition in each of the years 2015 to 2019 and to date in 2020; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15104/20]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 463 to 465, inclusive, together.
Recruitment to the EU’s Institutions is carried out centrally by the European Personnel Selection Office (EPSO). EPSO regularly runs open competitions to recruit generalist and specialist EU civil servants. The most common form of entry to the EU Institutions is through the AD5 Generalist competition, which is the entry-level point for graduates. This competition is commonly referred to as the EU “concours”.
Since 2015, five Irish citizens have passed the AD5 Generalist competition. Two Irish citizens were recruited in 2015, one in 2017 and two in 2018. EPSO did not hold an AD5 Generalist competition in 2016. The 2019 competition is ongoing and has been delayed due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
In 2015, 172 Irish citizens applied to sit the AD5 Generalist tests. In 2017, 167 submitted a valid application and in 2018, 176 Irish people submitted an application. The ongoing 2019 competition saw 191 Irish people submit an application.
In addition, since 2015 Irish citizens have also been recruited by the Institutions through other avenues, including through competitions run for specialists (e.g. recruitment competitions for auditors or lawyer-linguists) and through competitions that employ individuals on the basis of a temporary or fixed-term contract.
The Blue Book Traineeship programme is run by the European Commission on a six-monthly basis. Participation by Irish citizens in that programme since 2015 is as follows:
- 2015: 24
- 2016: 19
- 2017: 23
- 2018: 22
- 2019: 27
- 2020: 35
Irish citizens also take part in the Junior Professionals in Delegation Programme, which is run by the European External Action Service and the European Commission and places highly-qualified junior professionals from Member States in EU Delegations around the world. Similarly, the National Expert in Professional Training programme is open to Irish civil service, giving Irish officials the opportunity to have a short-term placement in the EU’s Institutions.
It has become clear in recent years that there will soon be a significant reduction in the number of Irish officials in senior roles in the EU Institutions, as many high-ranking Irish officials will soon retire. At the current rates of recruitment of permanent staff, we are far below the replacement rate. This poses a serious challenge.
The Department of Foreign Affairs manages the EU Jobs campaign to promote careers in the EU in Ireland. The campaign publicises EU career opportunities, including traineeships, in Ireland’s third-level institutions. The campaign also provides support to Irish citizens who have applied for permanent jobs in the EU Institutions, providing information and advice for the duration of the recruitment competition.
Ireland’s Permanent Representation to the EU in Brussels dedicates significant resources to building and maintaining relations with Irish citizens working in the EU. It also provides Irish EU staff with assistance to help them advance to the highest levels of senior management in the Institutions.
In addition, the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade manages the Centrally Funded Scheme for Seconded National Experts was established in 2014 to support the secondment of Irish Government officials to the EU. The scheme, which provides for secondments to international as well as EU institutions, has a budget of €1.8 million for 2020. To date in 2020, it has financed the secondment of twenty-four Irish officials to the EU Institutions.
Both programmes aim to increase Ireland’s representation in the staffing of the EU’s Institutions, though it is clear that more needs to be done in this area. The Programme for Government commits to the development of a new strategy to increase the presence of Irish people in the senior ranks of the EU Institutions. We will also aim to increase the number of young Irish people applying for traineeships in the EU’s Institutions.
The Department of Foreign Affairs and the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform continue to work together in analysing these issues, and in developing Ireland’s overall policy approach to EU staffing. These will help to inform the new strategy. In addition, the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform will reflect Ireland’s EU careers objectives in the forthcoming Civil Service HR Strategy, and in workforce plans of Civil Service Departments and offices from 2020 onwards.
