POSITIVE ACTION PROGRAMME 2025
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Introduction
The European Parliament is launching its annual Positive Action Programme (PAP) (2025 edition), a pathway designed to facilitate the employment of persons with a disability as contract agents. This initiative offers candidates with a disability the opportunity to work for the EU’s only directly elected institution, while also enabling Parliament to have a diverse talent pool.
The PAP procedure establishes a pool list of 20 suitable candidates for potential recruitment as contract agents (on the basis of Article 3b of the Conditions of Employment of Other Servants of the European Union) in function groups II, III or IV by the Secretariat’s Directorates-General (DGs). Through this programme, Parliament recruits up to six successful candidates annually on one-year contracts (with the possibility of renewal). The remaining successful candidates will be included on a pool list for a period of 18 months, with the possibility of recruitment by Parliament DGs outside the framework of the PAP.
Eligibility criteria
On the closing date for applications, you must meet the following general eligibility criteria, as well as criteria regarding qualifications and professional experience.
(a) General criteria
You must:
(1) have a disability that causes impairment equal to or greater than 20 %, according to the European physical and mental disability rating scale;
(2) enjoy full rights as a citizen of an EU Member State;
(3) have fulfilled any obligations imposed by the laws concerning military service;
(4) be able to produce appropriate character references concerning your suitability for the performance of your duties;
(5) demonstrate a minimum of level C1 (‘thorough knowledge’) in one of the 24 official EU languages (language 1) and a minimum of level B2 (‘satisfactory knowledge’) in another EU language (language 2), based on the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages, in which C2 is the highest level and A1 is the lowest.
The official languages of the European Union are: Bulgarian, Croatian, Czech, Danish, Dutch, English, Estonian, Finnish, French, German, Greek, Hungarian, Irish, Italian, Latvian, Lithuanian, Maltese, Polish, Portuguese, Romanian, Slovak, Slovenian, Spanish and Swedish.
You will take the multiple choice question (MCQ) test in your language 1. The recruiting services will test your knowledge of your language 2 at the interview stage, if your name is included on the pool list and you are invited for an interview by a DG.
By applying to this programme, you specifically declare that you meet the criterion of having an impairment, (a)(1) above. Providing false information in relation to this eligibility criterion will lead to the immediate cancellation of your application and your exclusion from the programme.
(b) Qualifications
You must also have a minimum level of qualification.
For function groups II (Clerical and Secretarial) and III (Assistants):
- a level of post-secondary education attested by a diploma; or
- a level of secondary education attested by a diploma giving access to post-secondary education, and appropriate professional experience of at least three years.
For function group IV (Administrators):
- a level of education which corresponds to completed university studies of at least three years attested by a diploma.
Diplomas, whether issued in a Member State or in a non-EU country, must be recognised by an official body of an EU Member State, such as the ministry of education, by the closing date for applications.
Candidates holding diplomas issued in a non-EU country will be requested to provide an EU equivalence for their diplomas by the closing date for applications. You can find further information on the recognition of non-EU qualifications through the ENIC-NARIC networks (https://www.enic-naric.net). The selection panel will take into account the differences between education systems. The annexes to the Guide for Candidates provide examples of the minimum qualifications required.
(c) Professional experience
The programme is only open to individuals who have never previously worked for an EU institution, agency or body. For the purpose of this programme, EU traineeships, freelance and interim contracts do not count as prior work experience for an EU institution.
Selection and recruitment process
(1) Selection process
The European Parliament will invite you to sit a computer-based multiple choice question (MCQ) test, consisting of a maximum of 30 questions that pertain to the following fields: EU knowledge, verbal reasoning and situational judgement.
If you require reasonable accommodation during the test, you can submit a request using the form provided in Annex 1, using the reference PAP 2025. Please consult the Guide for Candidates for more information on how to submit a request.
Please note that you must submit a new reasonable accommodation request for each procedure you apply for, as the Medical Service does not keep records of previous requests for reasons of data protection. You may reuse the supporting documents from previous requests, provided your impairment or medical situation remains unchanged.
The European Parliament works with a service provider (TestWe) to run the online tests. Please be aware that TestWe is unfortunately not currently accessible for candidates who use screen readers, magnifiers and speech-to-text software. Additionally, in the event of a problem during testing, candidates would be required to contact the service provider’s helpline by telephone. Alternative arrangements will therefore be made if you have specific needs (e.g. if you have a visual or hearing impairment or a speech and/or language impairment), provided the Medical Service approves your request.
The selection panel will then evaluate the applications of the candidates who have reached the 50 % pass mark in the MCQ test to ensure that they meet the eligibility criteria (b) and (c) mentioned above. The selection panel will stop the assessment process once 1.5 times the number of suitable candidates sought has been reached. The selection panel will also include all candidates tied for the last place in their evaluation.
These candidates will then be required to undergo Parliament’s disability recognition process. In order to prove your impairment, you must have a medical doctor (either an appropriate specialist or your general practitioner) fill out the form provided by Parliament’s Medical Service. You can also provide a national disability card to support your application. You should have this information ready at short notice in order for the Medical Service to process it after the MCQ test. Please note that this process is different from the evaluation of your reasonable accommodation request outlined above.
Once the Medical Service has evaluated the form and documentation provided by the candidate, they will communicate their decision to the selection panel, who will then establish the list of suitable candidates.
(2) Recruitment
Once the list of suitable candidates is finalised, the candidates’ CVs will be circulated to all of the DGs’ human resources (HR) services. Up to six of these candidates will be recruited under the PAP, while the remaining candidates may be considered for recruitment as contract agents by the DGs outside the framework of the PAP.
If a DG finds your profile relevant for an available position , they may call you for an interview.
It is important to note that being included in the pool list or passing the selection test does not confer any right of recruitment. Recruiting services may refer to the list when contract positions became available and invite candidates whose profiles align with the job requirements for an interview. This process aims to create opportunities both within and outside the PAP.
How to apply
Please apply through the Apply4EP platform by 12:00 midday on 16 April 2025 (Brussels time)
You must carefully read the Guide for Candidates that is annexed to this notice before you complete your application.
If you require reasonable accommodation for the test, you must email the relevant form (see the Guide for Candidates for details) by the application deadline to Parliament’s Medical Service at the following address:
PERS-CabmedbruDisability@europarl.europa.eu
Please remember to attach the appropriate medical/impairment documentation to support your request.
Please use the following wording in the email subject line:
‘DG PERS 2025 Positive Action Programme/RA Testing Justification Note’.
Please note that reasonable accommodations for the workplace will be offered to recruited candidates at a later stage.
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