EPSO is an abbreviation for the ‘European Personnel Selection Office’. EPSO is an entity of the European Commission responsible for recruitment of candidates for jobs in a number of EU institutions. EPSO’s recruitment procedures are also known as ‘EU Concours’.

On average EPSO processes around 46,000 applications a year for approximately 1,300 vacancies in the EU institutions. Most persons who successfully pass EPSO selection processes do not get jobs in EU institutions but are placed on the so-called ‘reserve lists’ and remain there until validity of lists expires.

EPSO manages hiring procedures for the following EU institutions:

• European Parliament
• Council of the European Union
• European Commission
• Court of Justice of the European Union
• European Court of Auditors
• European Economic and Social Committee
• Committee of the Regions
• European External Action Service
• European Ombudsman
• European Data Protection Supervisor

The EU agencies may and often do run their own selection procedures, but can also draw from successful candidates placed on EPSO’s ‘reserve lists’.