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Candidates who are successful in a selection procedure are placed on a ‘reserve list’, from which all EU institutions can recruit directly. Find below more information about what happens next.

  • The number of staff employed by the EU institutions is proportional to their size and functions.
  • As job opportunities arise, the institutions check the profiles of the successful candidates to identify those who best match their needs (for example, in terms of education, professional experience and language skills).
  • You may be invited by several institutions or services for an interview (for reserve lists open to multiple institutions).
  • For practical reasons, candidates may also undergo a medical examination before any decision is taken on appointment.
  • You have the right to refuse any offer, but there is no guarantee of another offer before the reserve list expires. 
  • According to the Staff Regulations, officials already working within the institutions must be considered before successful candidates on a reserve list.
  • Please keep all personal information in your EPSO account up to date.
  • You should upload and regularly update your CV, preferably in the Europass format (via the 'upload CV' tab).
  • There is no need to send your CV directly to the institutions. Your CV, competency passport and information about your availability are visible to the institutions through the database of successful candidates.
  • You can ask EPSO (via the contact form) to be marked as unavailable for a given period. Keep in mind that the validity of the reserve list will not be extended accordingly.
  • If you want to archive a complete copy of your application file (including EPSO's correspondence) you should save and/or print it as soon as possible, as the correspondence will remain in your account for a limited time only.
  • The 'reserve list' is a database containing information on the profile, competencies, and availability of all the successful candidates in a particular selection procedure.
  • Being on a reserve list is not a guarantee of recruitment, but on average 50% of candidates are recruited within 7 months.
  • Reserve lists are generally valid for one year (or three years for specialists). The validity may be prolonged (by EPSO) according to the needs of the institutions. A decision will usually be taken shortly before the list expires and is published on the EU Careers website.
  • The initial validity of a list starts from the moment successful candidates are notified about their placement on the reserve list. The initial validity is published on the Reserve lists page.
  • Any delay in the publication of the list on the Reserve lists page has no impact on the recruitment process itself.
  • If you have already received the official offer letter from the Corporate Human Resources by the time the list expires, recruitment may still go ahead.
  • At the end of the probationary period, a newly recruited official will either be established as an official or dismissed. EPSO cannot put anyone back on a reserve list.
  • The institutions are assigned a certain quota of successful candidates that they can recruit from the reserve list. This information is only available to EPSO and the EU institutions.
  • The quotas reflect the recruitment needs of a particular institution(s) over a given period.
  • Recruitment by another institution during the period in which the quota(s) are applied is subject to the approval of the institution(s) concerned.
  • The quota is normally lifted three or six months - for some specialists’ competitions - after the publication of the reserve list, or can be extended, on approval of the institution(s) concerned.
  • The vacancy system allows you to view vacancies related to the competition(s) in which you have been successful. You can apply for these vacancies until your reserve list expires.
  • The publication of vacancies in your EPSO account is the responsibility of the EU institutions. They decide which vacancies to open to which reserve list(s).
  • Institutions are not obliged to open their vacancies to all or part of the successful candidates.
  • If quotas are applied to your reserve list, you may not have access to vacant posts until the quotas have been lifted.
  • When institutions publish vacancies, the “Show vacancies“ button will appear on the Applications’ overview page under the relevant competition in your EPSO account. 
  • This gives a list of vacancies, each with a vacancy code, job title and the institution offering the vacancy.
  • Clicking on a vacancy from the list will provide you with detailed information about the location, duties, tasks, and contact details.
  • You should check your EPSO account regularly, as institutions can upload vacancies at any time and there may only be a limited application period. You will not be notified automatically when new vacancies have been published. 
  • If applying for a vacancy please ensure that you are eligible, that your CV is up-to-date and that you mention the relevant competition in your cover letter.
  • Please note, for some Commission vacancies you may be able to view notices which are relevant to your category of reserve list (e.g., AST-SC, AST or AD), but which you are not eligible to apply for. For example, if the post is at AST3 level, but you are on an AST1 reserve list then you are not eligible.
  • If you have any questions about your eligibility, or any other details relating to the vacancy or the recruitment procedure, please contact the recruiting service using the contact details in the vacancy notice.
  • Please send your application to the recruiting institution only and not to EPSO as all recruitment is handled by the institutions directly.
  • You can find an overview of all the EU institutions, organisations and agencies  on the Europa website.
  • You can check the list of the EU institutions for which EPSO selects staff and links to their recruitment pages for more information.
  • Should you have any questions about a specific vacancy, please contact the recruiting service using the contact details mentioned in the vacancy notice.
  • You can also contact us if you have further questions about what to expect next or your availability for recruitment.

Please note that the Notice of Competition and Rules Governing Open Competitions set down the legal framework for each selection procedure. This page is only designed to provide additional guidance.