Can the EU ensure fair national representation in staff selection? Ask the Euronews AI chatbot

The European Union has long grappled with ensuring fair national representation among staff in its civil service, despite having rules mandating the widest possible range of nationalities in recruitment. The challenge stems from both low wages and poor job prospects in countries like Italy, Spain, Greece, and Portugal, driving people to seek better opportunities through EU careers.

During the latest AD5 Generalist Competition, which opened applications before March 10, 174,922 candidates applied, a significant surge that tripled the 22,644 applicants in the previous competition in 2019. However, the surge was not evenly distributed. Italy led the pack with 79,343 applicants, accounting for 45.4% of the total, a stark contrast to Spain (13,789), Germany (11,699), and France (10,939). Denmark only submitted 987 applications, and Luxembourg just 630.

This geographical disparity in EU career interest highlights the underlying issue of underrepresentation from certain nationalities, which has been a persistent problem for EU institutions. They have struggled to diversify their workforce to mirror the continent's demographics. Currently, 15 out of the 27 nationalities are underrepresented in the permanent civil service.

In response, the European Commission introduced new recruitment guidelines in 2025. Offices must interview at least one candidate from an underrepresented nationality for each position, giving preference if qualifications are equal, and can set nationality-based targets. Still, they must refrain from reserving posts exclusively for nationals of a particular member state.

The Commission also utilized Joint Action Plans from 2022-2023 to address these geographical imbalances. These plans aimed to enhance outreach, candidate support, and vacancy visibility in underrepresented member states, without compromising on merit as the primary hiring criterion.