‘SNE’ stands for Seconded National Expert (known as END in French). These are civil servants of EU Member States that are “lent” for a time period – usually between 1 and 4 years – to an EU institution. The SNEs usually retain their position at the Member State institution and often are also paid their original salary, which is complemented by a special EU allowance during their contract duration at an EU institution.

SNEs are employed by EU institutions mainly to satisfy the organization’s needs where staff shortages do not allow assigning an official or a contract agent. SNEs are also employed in case of need of a specific Member State or professional expertise. The Member States also benefit from sending their staff as SNEs to EU institutions, as they attain valuable experience and expertise that can later be used by the national government, particularly, during the European Union Presidencies.

Article about SNE salaries including a calculator.