By Sofia Kannas
COMPETITION for posts as Cypriot EU officials will be fierce, the European Institute for Cyprus said yesterday.
Recruitment for more than 100 Cypriot EU officials is expected to begin within the next few weeks following Wednesday’s announcement by the European Commission in Brussels that targets in this field have been set for all new member states.
Neophytos Chrysochos, Director of Research at the Institute, yesterday confirmed that the total staff for Cyprus was estimated at approximately 110, including one Director and six middle managers.
“The EU’s special unit for personnel selection has allocated a certain number of positions for each candidate country. The targets were based on each country’s population, the weighting of votes in the EU council and finally the number of Euro MPs for all member countries.
“Based on these three criteria a working formula was used to ascertain the number of officials for each candidate nation.”
Asked what the recruitment process would involve, Chrysochos told the Cyprus Mail that selection for the positions of Director and middle managers would be different to those for the 103 lower ranking officials.
“The top seven posts will be decided by CV and interviews.
“But the rest of the positions will be decided by preliminary exam papers and then a more serious exam. After this, interviews will be conducted and then a short-list drawn up of people eligible to apply for positions. So even if you are short-listed you are not guaranteed a position, you are only able to apply.
But hopefully within the next seven years these positions will be filled by Cypriot citizens.
And what are the attractions of applying for the post of EU official?
“There are many attractions. The 103 officials will get a salary of more than €50,000 per year and other benefits depending on the family situation.
“For example, there are household allowances, at five per cent of the basic yearly salary. There are also child allowances of €233 per month per child, plus a school allowance. A repatriation allowance of 16 per cent of the yearly salary also exists, as well as some fixed amounts for travel expenses.
“So it’s a very attractive package in terms of benefits but a somewhat exhausting process to get the job.”
Chrysochos said the recruitment process would be rigorous and competition would be fierce.
“The selection process is designed to pick out the best people for the jobs. Not just in terms of passing the exams, but also in terms of other skills, such as the ability to work in a multicultural environment.
Language skills are also of paramount importance.
“As well as speaking Greek, applicants must also be fluent in at least one of the three main EU languages — English, French or German.”
“There are some specialist posts for lawyers and economists but most posts will be for general public servants.
Asked what qualifications were necessary for applicants, Chrysochos said that any type of university degree was acceptable.
“We don’t exclude any type of degree, though post-graduate degrees and doctorates are regarded as important. But practical experience and knowledge of EU policies are also needed.
“The posts will be open to graduates with less than three years’ experience as well as those with more than three years’ experience.
“The application process should open in a few weeks, and forms should be filled in online.”
The Cyprus Mail is the only English-language daily newspaper published in Cyprus. It was established in 1945 and today, with its popular and widely-read website, the Cyprus Mail is among the most trusted news sites in Cyprus. The newspaper is not affiliated with any political parties and has always striven to maintain its independence. Over the past 70-plus years, the Cyprus Mail, with a small dedicated team, has covered momentous events in Cyprus’ modern history, chronicling the last gasps of British colonial rule, Cyprus’ truncated independence, the coup and Turkish invasion, and the decades of negotiations to stitch the divided island back together, plus a myriad of scandals, murders, and human interests stories that capture the island and its -people. Observers describe it as politically conservative.
