Contract types @ EU
While working at the European Institutions, you will meet people with different type of contracts.
There are several types of working relationships within the European Institutions. We divide them into 2 main categories :
People paid directly by the EU institutions as their employer :
permanent staff or temporary staff, who adheres to the Staff Regulation or a similar legal text. This is similar to civil servants in the member states. Their function group is AD (Administrator), AST (Assitant), AST/SC (Assistant/Secretary Cleck)
who signed a contract with the EU Institutions. This is similar to contracts signed in the private sector. Their function group is FGI, FGII, GFIII, and FGIV.
Trainees, like Blue book Trainees, who are joining the Institutions for few months.
Seconded national expert (SNE), who worked directly for the European Institutions after being sent by a member state where they were civil servants.
People not being paid by the EU Institutions, thus not being considered as EU staff. Their are getting paid by their employer or through a company that has a service contract with the Institutions :
Interim staff
IT Consultants, intra- or extra-muros.
Security guards
Cleaning and kitchen staff
...
Paid directly by the EU institutions
For the first category, we have :
FP - Permanent staff (also known as "officials"): These are employees of the European Commission who have a permanent contract (no end date) and adhere to the Staff Regulations of Officials of the European Union. They enjoy certain rights and protections, such as the right to be appointed to a higher grade or function, the right to receive a pension, and the right to certain social benefits.
TP - Temporary staff (also known as "officials" as well): These are individuals who are engaged by the European Commission to perform a specific task or mission for a limited period of time, under the Conditions of Employment of Other Servants of the European Union. There are several subcategories of Temporary Staff, including:
Temporary staff under Article 2(d) of the CEOS: These are individuals who are engaged to work on projects funded by the Commission's research budget.
Temporary staff under Article 2(c) of the CEOS: These are individuals who are engaged to perform advisory or managerial functions within the Commission.
Temporary staff under Article 2(b) of the CEOS: These are individuals who have been recruited through an open competition and are engaged for a specific project or mission.
Temporary staff under Article 2(a) of the CEOS: These are individuals who have expertise or skills that are not readily available within the Commission and are engaged for a specific project or mission.
SLB - Trainee - Blue book
CB - Contract agents: These are temporary employees of the European Commission who have a fixed-term contract and adhere to the Conditions of Employment of Other Servants of the European Union. They may be hired for a specific project or mission and do not have the same rights and protections as permanent staff.
SNE - Seconded National Expert : Staff from a member state (civil servant), that is temporarily appointed to a job at the EU level for a fixed duration (EU contract has an end date). SNEs are paid by the Institutions during their EU appointment and are supposed to go back to their original job at the national level after the end of the contract
Not-paid directly by the EU institutions
For the second category, we will focus on the external service providers, like IT consultants, and interim staff :
INT - Interim staff. Working through a interim agency
PPW - Intra-muros Service Providers: Service provider with a commission workstation, meaning a consultant with a Commission laptop and a permanent office as well as a permanent building badge
PXE - Service provider working outside Commission premises with EU equipment, meaning a consultant with a Commission laptop and without any permanent building badge. Those consultants can anyway get temporary badges to work from a flex desk in a Commission building.
PPX - Service provider with a commission workstation, meaning a consultant with a Commission laptop and a permanent building badge
PP - Service Providers with access to the buildings: no IT jobs, like cleaning staff, canteen staff, movers, security guards, ...
PPI - Premise and IT accesses Service Providers: access to the building with permanent badges but without an office, like maintenance service providers, journalists,...
PXI - Extra-Muros Service Providers : Service providers working outside Commission premises with access to the IT environment, meaning a consultant without a Commission laptop and without any building badge, but with access to EU IT infrastructure
As an IT consultant, you are considered as an external staff. You continue to work under the responsibility of your employer, or as a freelancer, and pay your taxes according to your professional and personal situation, usually in your country of tax residency.
IT consultants, in a Time and Means contract, can't bill the Commission directly, even as a freelance or company owner. They have to work through approved companies that keep a fee on the daily rate.
Differences between Permanent staff and external Consultants.
Employed directly by the Commission
Employed by a company or are freelancers
Have a permanent contract with the Commission
Have a temporary contract with the Commission, typically through a consortium
Receive a salary and benefits from the Commission
Receive a fee for their services from the company or consortium
Can work on a wide range of tasks within the Commission
Usually work on specific projects or tasks for a limited duration
Have access to training and development opportunities within the Commission
Do not have access to the same training and development opportunities as permanent staff
Can advance their career within the Commission
Typically do not have any hierarchical links and can stay in the same position for decades.
Get screened and selected through EPSO office
Get hunted by private companies
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