EEAS STAFF FACTS & FIGURES

At the end of 2015, 4189 people worked in the EEAS, both statutory staff and external staff. 1177 of EEAS statutory staff members worked in Headquarters (39%), while 1872 (61%) worked in the EU’s network of 139 EU Delegations and Offices around the world.

The largest group of staff were the 1107 Local Agents, all of whom were based in the Delegations. There were 934 staff members at AD (administrator or diplomatic) level, 631 at AST (assistant) level, 20 at AST-Secretary level and 357 Contract Agents.

At the end of 2015, there were in total 434 Seconded National Experts (SNEs) in the EEAS. 376 were based in Brussels, and 58 were based in the Delegations. The majority of the relatively high number of SNEs in the Headquarters of the EEAS worked in the crisis management structures. From the 376 Brussels-based SNEs, 151 (40%) were seconded “cost-free”, i.e. entirely paid by their sending Member State (except for mission expenses). In the EU delegations the majority (80%) of the SNEs were "cost-free".

There were 220 trainees in the EEAS, and 385 individuals worked in the EU Delegations on the basis of the Junior Professionals in Delegations Programme. Finally, there were 353 staff members supplied to the EEAS by external service providers, and 95 interim staff members.

STATUTORY EEAS STAFF

The employment conditions of staff members employed by the EEAS are governed by the Staff Regulations of Officials (SR) or the Conditions of Employment of Other Servants of the European Union (CEOS). The CEOS apply to Temporary Agents, Contract Agents, Local Agents and special advisers. These staff members are referred to as statutory staff. Officials are appointed by the EEAS after they have passed a competition or selection procedure and are assigned to permanent establishment plan posts for an undetermined period of time.

Temporary Agents: Temporary Agents in the EEAS are essentially staff seconded from national diplomatic services of the Member States contracted to fill temporarily permanent establishment plan posts in the EEAS ;

Contract Agents: Contract Agents are contracted by the EEAS and assigned to jobs not covered by the establishment plan:

•to carry out manual or administrative support service tasks for either a determined or undetermined period of time ;

•in Representations and Delegations of Union institutions

•to replace certain absent Officials or Temporary Agents or to perform other duties for a period of maximally three years .

Local Agents:  Local Agents are employed by the EEAS for manual or service duties and are working in places outside the European Union, according to local law. Local staff is assigned to posts not covered by the establishment plan.

II. NON-STATUTORY EEAS STAFF

In addition to statutory staff, the European Commission and the EEAS also employ non-statutory staff. The legal basis for employment contracts between the EEAS and non-statutory staff members is different from the legal basis for staff covered by the Staff Regulations or the Conditions of Employment of Other Servants. The employment conditions of non-statutory staff members are governed by national laws and regulations in force in the place of employment. Non-statutory staff (Agents under national law) are assigned to jobs not covered by the establishment plan and most contracts expire after a fixed period of time. Persons other than those mentioned above are related to the EEAS through their professional activity, directly or indirectly. They collaborate with the EEAS outside the context of an employment contract with the EEAS and, hence, are not EEAS staff.

Some of them (trainees) have an individual contract, as opposed to an employment contract, with the EEAS. Some are contracted by an employment agency or belong to a national administration and are subsequently seconded to the EEAS. Some are not remunerated. Others receive an allowance or grant on top of the salary they receive from their employer.

Seconded National Experts: Seconded National Experts are employed by a national administration and seconded to the EEAS.

Junior Professional in Delegations: The EEAS and the Commission have deployed from March 2013 a programme for Junior Professionals in Delegations. The aim of the programme is to enable graduates from the Member States of the EU to gain first-hand experience in the work of the Delegations. The basic principle is of one EEAS Junior Professional per Member State. The legal basis for the recruitment of JPDs is the Joint Decision of the European Commission and the High Representative of the EU for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy on 12 June 2012 establishing a High Level Traineeship Programme in the EU Delegations in Partnership with the EU Member States,

Trainees: Trainees sign individual contracts with the EEAS. Some types of traineeship contracts include the payment of an allowance or the reimbursement of expenses, whereas other contract types do not provide for any remuneration. The overall purpose of all traineeships is to enable trainees to learn about EU policies and EEAS's activities.

Service Providers: Service providers are contracted by a private company and carry out specialised outsourced tasks, in particular in the area of information technology.

Interim Staff: Interim Staff are contracted by job agencies and deliver services to the EEAS to replace absent staff or to carry out short-term duties for a maximum of six consecutive months