The permanent officials form the EU Civil Service.
According to Staff Regulations and are divided in different function groups – administrators (AD) assistants (AST) and assistants-secretaries (AST/SC).Funcționarii titulari compun funcția publică europeană.
According to Staff Regulations (art.1 bis, title 1)
“For the purposes of these Staff Regulations, official of the Union means any person who has been appointed, as provided for in these Staff Regulations, to an established post on the staff of one of the institutions of the Union by an instrument issued by the Appointing Authority of that institution.
This definition … shall also apply to persons appointed by Union bodies to whom these Staff Regulations apply under the Union acts establishing them (hereinafter “agencies”).”
Function groups
For permanent officials, Staff Regulations provide three function groups:
- administrators (AD),
- assistants (AST) and
- assistants-secretaries (AST/SC).
1. Administrators – AD
University graduates can be recruited as administrators. For them, there is a wide range of career opportunities in areas such as administration, law, finance, economics, communications, and science.
Depending on the institution and grade, administrators are engaged in drafting policies and implementing EU law, analysing and advising. An administrator may find him/herself playing a key role in the EU’s legislative and budgetary processes, coordinating the broad economic and other policies of the Member States, taking part in trade negotiations with non-EU countries, or representing the Institutions in international forums. Translators and interpreters are also recruited as administrators.
An administrator career covers grades AD 5 to AD 16. AD 5 is the entry level for University graduates while AD 16 is the grade for a General director.
The table below presents the function group AD, examples of administrator positions and their respective basic monthly salary in Euro.
| Example of positions | Grade | Monthly Salary |
|---|---|---|
| Director-General | AD16 | 16 919 € |
| Director-General/Director | AD15 | 14 954 € |
| Director/Head of unit/Adviser/economic expert | AD14 | 13 217 € |
| Head of unit/Adviser/economic expert | AD13 | 11 681 € |
| Head of unit/principal translator, principal economist | AD12 | 10 324 € |
| Head of unit/principal translator, principal economist | AD11 | 9 125 € |
| Head of unit/senior translator, senior economist | AD10 | 8 065 € |
| Head of unit/senior translator, senior economist | AD9 | 7 128 € |
| Translator/interpreter/economist/lawyer | AD8 | 6 300 € |
| Translator/interpreter/economist/lawyer | AD7 | 5 568 € |
| Junior translator/junior interpreter/junior economist/junior lawyer | AD6 | 4 921 € |
| Junior translator/junior interpreter/junior economist/junior lawyer | AD5 | 4 350 € |
2. Assistants – AST
Union institutions recruit assistants from among graduates of secondary education cycle with appropriate professional qualifications or relevant experience.
Generally, assistants have an executive and technical role. They are involved in the internal management of the Institutions, in budgetary and financial affairs, personnel work, computing, and document management etc.
An assistant career covers grades AST 1 to AST 11.
Usually, assistants are recruited at grade AST 1 with 2 654 € basic monthly salary or AST3 with 3 398 € basic monthly salary.
3.Assistants-Secretaries – AST/SC
Candidates for AST/SC must have completed secondary education and have previous relevant experience, or have a relevant vocational qualification.
Assistants-secretaries have an administrative support role. They are generally employed in an office management. They are involved in tasks such as preparing files, organising and coordinating meetings, preparing files, as well as many others involved in supporting teams, managers, or other services within the EU Institutions.