Archives: Glossary

The European Court of Auditors (‘Cour des comptes européenne’ in French) is one of the main institutions of the European Union. It was established in 1975 and is located in Luxembourg. It carries out independent auditing of all European Institutions, in contrast to the Internal Audit Service of the European Commission whose work is directed…

Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) is ‘the EU court’ and one of the main EU institutions that ensures the observance and uniform application and interpretation of EU law within EU member states and institutions. Its headquarters are in Luxembourg.

The ‘Daily subsistence allowance’ is one of the benefits paid to new staff members of EU institutions if they have had to relocate within their own country or to a different EU Member State.

A Deputy Director-General is a senior executive role serving directly under the Director-General within a Directorate-General, which is a principal department responsible for a specific policy area. The Deputy Director-General assists the Director-General in the overall management and strategic guidance of the Directorate-General’s operations and is often entrusted with overseeing significant portfolios or specific thematic…

The European Commission ‘Directorates-General’ or DGs are like ministries in EU Member States. Each broad sphere of European Commission competence has its own Directorate-General. Most DGs are headed by a Director General, who in turn reports to a European Commissioner. There are around 33 Directorates-General. Their number tends to change every five years with each…

A Director-General in the European Commission is the highest-ranking civil servant. The position is equivalent to a State Secretary in an EU member state ministry. The Director-General is responsible for setting the strategic direction and ensuring the effective functioning of the Directorate-General in fulfilling its mandate. The role of the Director-General includes overseeing the development…

A Directorate-General (DG) is the main administrative unit of the European Commission. Each DG is responsible for one or several distinct policy areas. DGs are similar to ministries in the EU Member States. Directorates-General are tasked with the development, implementation, and management of EU policies and legislation in their remit. Each DG is led by…

The Staff Regulations (Article 1c) define ‘disability’ as a long-term physical, mental, intellectual or sensory impairment which, in interaction with various barriers, may hinder an employee’s full and effective participation in society on an equal basis with others. EU institutions are a welcoming work environment for persons with disabilities as EU law empowers them to…

An E-tray exercise is a simulation used in EPSO competitions to assess candidates’ skills in organizing and prioritizing work, as well as their ability to process information and make decisions in an office-like setting. This test is particularly relevant for roles that involve administrative and case-handling tasks within EU institutions. This particularly applies to Assistants…

Early retirement in EU institutions refers to the option available to officials and other staff members to retire before reaching the standard retirement age, which is typically 66. Early retirement can be taken under specific conditions and will result in a permanently reduced pension. Early retirement can be taken from age 58. Early retirement will…

The ‘Education allowance’ is one of the benefits paid to employees of EU institutions if their children do not attend a European School. Parents of children older than 5 years and in regular full-time attendance at fee-charging a) primary school b) secondary school, c) university or a similar educational institution, are entitled to a single…

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’.