EU Concours

The information in this article are completely outdated and do not reflect the current situation.

By the European Personnel Selection Office organized competitions to fill up reserve lists for permanent employees at the institutions of the European Union called on the French origin of this type of competition Concours; this term is used in open competition Jargon usually take place the official German designation.

Because the number of applicants per place partly on a reserve list is more than 100, a highly standardized method is needed to make a correct selection, at least formally.

Expiration

Most 'big' Concours today are performed in the following manner:

• In a first part multiple- choice questions to a field to be filled reserve list, to the development of the European integration process as well as logical-linguistic skills are put. In each of the three areas, a candidate must answer at least half of the questions correctly and also ( and publish in the Official Journal of the European Union ) to a pre-determined number of candidates with the highest score are.
• These candidates are then invited to submit a written application ( communication between candidates and EPSO done previously only electronically via the website of EPSO). Because of the documentation is checked whether the candidates meet the also announced in the invitation to tender formal conditions, eg able to demonstrate a certain type of college degree.
• Although all the candidates on the day of the contest had to write about for several hours essays on a topic from their field, only the essays of candidates to be read, which have not yet been sorted out. Since multiple-choice tasks can be evaluated automatically, the total expenditure for the implementation of the Concours is limited.
• Also in the articles must each have at least half of the maximum points are reached and only those not ruled out that have the highest total number of points at the end.
• These candidates will be invited for an oral examination, usually to Brussels or Luxembourg, the seat of most of the organs and institutions of the European Union. The interview with the selection committee responsible for the selection process is also assessed. Here, too, at least half of the possible points to be achieved. Of the candidates who have done this, so many will be selected in the end, have place like on the vacant reserve list.

The process usually takes place in several cities in the European Union at the same time and in many different languages. Here, for example, exhibition halls, gymnasiums or halls are used by convention centers, to accommodate the amount of applicants.

Learning Support

For the Concours preselection tests the speed is as important as knowledge. It is important to learn to answer the questions under time pressure.

Since EPSO has passed, " general EU " and " test for verbal and numerical understanding " to make the selection tests on the computer, a practical preparation is becoming increasingly important. A list of EU bookstores is published by the Confédération Syndicale Européenne. The largest selection of books that relate to the Concours, has the Librairie Européenne, which sits at the Commission in Brussels.

In books there are three categories:

• Pure textbooks (eg Access to European law)
• Educational booklets on procedures and structure, logic and solution of the tests
• Textbooks with simulation question collection combines which also appear in bilingual editions (eg EU Concours: A Guide to the European Union )

Seminars to prepare for the written and oral tests are offered for participants from the German Foreign Office in Berlin. The German representative in Brussels supports successful participants also available after the Concours with information.