Record competition at EPSO: 174,922 applications for the European officials' exam

Record competition and exams in November

Candidates who submitted applications by 10 March can take the AD5 Generalist Competition tests from 9 to 13 November. This round attracted a record 174,922 applications — more than three times the 22,644 applications in the previous AD5 competition in 2019. This is reported by Euronews.

Italy dominates the applications

The competition attracted particular attention because of its geography: 79,343 applications (45.4%) came from Italy — significantly more than from Spain (13,789), Germany (11,699) and France (10,939). Denmark submitted only 987 applications, Luxembourg 630. According to the outlet, this reflects the differing popularity of a career in EU institutions: in Italy, Spain, Greece and Portugal, its appeal is largely linked to low salaries and a weak labour market at home.

Chronic imbalance and Brussels' measures

The problem of the skewed national composition of the EU's permanent civil service has existed for decades. According to a report by the European Commission itself, 15 of the 27 nationalities are underrepresented, including the Netherlands, Austria, Finland, Sweden, Slovakia and Czechia. The rules require recruiting staff from the widest possible range of countries, but it is difficult for the institutions to attract staff from parts of Northern and Western Europe. In 2022–2023, Brussels applied joint action plans aimed at informing and supporting candidates from underrepresented countries, without reserving places. In 2025, the European Commission introduced new rules: offices are required to interview at least one candidate of an underrepresented nationality for each position and to give them preference when qualifications are equal; targets by nationality may be set, but positions may not be reserved for citizens of a specific country.