NOTICE OF PARLIAMENT INTERNAL COMPETITION

AD-AST/1/2026 - Administrators (AD 6) and Assistants (AST 2)

Before applying, you must read carefully the ‘Guide for candidates in internal competitions organised by the European Parliament (‘the Guide’) attached to this notice of competition.

The Guide is an integral part of the notice of competition and will help you to understand the rules governing internal competitions and the application procedure.

Deadline for applications: 12.00 (noon) Brussels/Luxembourg time on 22 May 2026

1.     GENERAL REMARKS. 2

2.     WHAT DUTIES CAN I EXPECT TO PERFORM?. 2

2.1.       Administrators AD 6. 2

2.2.       Assistants AST 2. 5

3.     AM I ELIGIBLE?. 8

3.1.       General eligibility criteria. 8

3.1.1.        Compliance with Article 28 of the Staff Regulations. 8

3.1.2.        Status and seniority. 8

3.2.       Specific eligibility criteria. 9

3.2.1.        Education. 9

3.2.2.        Professional experience. 10

3.2.3.        Knowledge of languages. 10

4.     HOW WILL THE COMPETITION BE ORGANISED?. 12

4.1.       General eligibility criteria check and check of candidates’ languages. 12

4.2.       Testing session (MCQ and written test) and specific eligibility criteria check. 12

4.2.1.        MCQ test 13

4.2.2.        Written test for administrators AD 6. 13

4.2.3.        Written test for assistants AST 2. 14

4.2.4.        Specific eligibility criteria check. 14

4.3.       Marking of the written test and interview.. 15

4.3.1.        Interview.. 15

5.     LIST OF SUITABLE CANDIDATES. 16

6.     HOW TO APPLY.. 16

ANNEX: Guide for candidates in internal competitions organised by the European Parliament

This internal competition is being organised for the purpose of establishing a list of suitable candidates - administrators AD 6 and assistants AST 2 in the European Parliament. The selection board will guarantee equal opportunities for all candidates, irrespective of the department they work for, their previous or current professional experience, function group and grade.

1.     GENERAL REMARKS

The European Parliament (‘ the Parliament’) is organising an internal competition (‘the competition’) based on tests, under Article 29(1)(d) of the Staff Regulations of Officials of the European Union (‘the Staff Regulations’) and Article 82(7) of the Conditions of Employment of Other Servants (‘CEOS’), to constitute a list of suitable candidates from which it may recruit administrators at grade AD 6 and assistants at grade AST 2.

This notice of competition and the Guide form the legally binding framework for this competition.

Number of suitable candidates sought:

–       For grade AD 6: 40

–       For grade AST 2: 40

This notice of competition covers two grades (AD 6 and AST 2). You may only apply to one of them (see Section 6 of this notice ‘How to apply’).

The European Parliament is an equal opportunities employer and welcomes applications without discrimination on any ground such as gender, colour, ethnic or social origin, genetic features, language, religion or belief, political or any other opinion, membership of a national minority, property, birth, disability, age, sexual orientation, marital status or family situation.

2.     WHAT DUTIES CAN I EXPECT TO PERFORM?

2.1. Administrators AD 6

Carrying out policy, planning and research duties which may include, depending on the department in the Secretariat to which the successful candidate is posted, one or more of the following activities:

(a) In the area of the provision of assistance to Members of the European Parliament and parliamentary bodies:

– drawing up short-, medium- and long-term work forecasts for parliamentary bodies, and managing that work;

– dealing with matters arising in a parliamentary body and contributing, through reports, analyses and specialised research, to the drafting and establishment of the European Parliament’s positions;

– establishing networks of contacts, particularly between MEPs and other EU institutions or bodies and economic and social circles in the Member States;

– helping to organise external events (conferences, seminars, etc.) and speaking in public.

(b) In the area of resource management:

– helping to manage Parliament’s staff, including by assessing staffing needs, drawing up job descriptions, designing, managing and monitoring training programmes, applying and enforcing the Staff Regulations, overseeing or coordinating specific projects and liaising with the departments involved and/or with corresponding departments at interinstitutional level;

– helping to manage Parliament’s financial resources, for example by contributing to the drawing-up of budget forecasts, monitoring, coordinating and scrutinising budgetary and contract management, setting up and carrying out internal financial controls, and ensuring that financial channels and procedures are consistent with the Financial Regulation and the relevant implementing rules.

(c) In the area of law:

– following developments in the case law of Community courts and informing departments in the Secretariat;

– following major political issues in the light of their legal impact;

– writing studies, notes and summaries;

– analysing, devising and preparing draft rules in their area of responsibility and on all topics relating to the management of the department at the request of senior management;

– studying and monitoring the rules and case law, informing and advising management and the departments on regulatory developments and certain specific cases;

– ensuring the drafting quality of draft acts from a legal viewpoint.

(d) In the area of information and communication policy:

– preparing, drafting, publishing and disseminating to the media and the general public information on the European Parliament’s activities, including drafting press releases, assisting and briefing media representatives, assisting Members in their dealings with the press (press conferences, etc.), and organising and running seminars on European issues for opinion multipliers;

– developing and implementing communication projects, social media strategies, digital campaigns, and outreach initiatives (e.g. collaborating with digital news or content creators) aligned with institutional priorities to enhance public awareness of EP activities, and EU policies with a focus on democracy and civic participation;

– building community engagement through grassroots initiatives, events, and targeted outreach, while monitoring the digital information landscape to counter disinformation and coordinate with the relevant stakeholders;

– preparing and overseeing communication activities, including designing, organising and/or taking part in events to raise public awareness, organising and managing visits (by groups or individuals), giving talks, designing and adapting communication materials, etc.

(e) In the area of IT and security:

– helping to define ICT standards, performing technological vigilance tasks and providing technical advice in this field;

– project management: drawing up analyses and proposals, devising projects, drawing up cost estimates, identifying and acquiring the resources needed, planning activities, overseeing implementation, change management and reporting;

– designing, defining, customising, implementing and overseeing IT service management processes and products;

– quality management, risk management, performance evaluation and continuous improvement of IT service management processes;

– developing IT security standards and policies;

– helping to design and develop security policies and guidelines for their implementation, covering persons, property and information;

– analysing all security threats and risks linked to the interests and activities of the institutions;

– implementing threat assessment and risk analysis procedures in connection with technical specifications or organisational/operational procedures for complex systems, including IT systems;

– implementing and overseeing the coordination of operational security services, such as prevention and surveillance, security guard supervision services and VIP close protection services.

(f) In the area of project management:

– overseeing and coordinating specific projects;

– preparing and facilitating management decision-making by proposing innovative solutions;

– drawing up reports, notes, letters, statistics and any other type of document, including draft rules;

– helping to draft and follow up invitations to tender;

– liaising with the other Parliament directorates-general and with counterpart units in other European institutions and bodies;

– accompanying senior management to or representing management at meetings and on internal and external working parties and taking part in or chairing administrative meetings.

2.2. Assistants AST 2

Carrying out, under the supervision of an administrator, support and logistical tasks which may include, depending on the department in the Secretariat to which the assistant is posted, one or more of the following activities:

(a) In the area of the provision of assistance to Members of the European Parliament and parliamentary bodies:

– compiling dossiers, in paper and/or electronic form, and providing management with finalised dossiers;

– helping to prepare texts put to the vote in Parliament and final consolidated and legislative texts with a view to their publication in the Official Journal;

– preparing texts put to the vote in Parliament, checking and dealing with aspects linked to quality, form and content; implementing the results of plenary votes;

– taking reception of, revising and preparing documents (including legislative documents) intended for parliamentary bodies and/or publication, preparing texts with regard to language and typography.

(b) In the area of resource management:

– helping to implement accounting and financial systems and monitoring financial and budgetary procedures (appropriations, commitments, verification of invoices and payments), with a view to guaranteeing the regularity and conformity of expenditure and revenue and the application of the principles sound financial management, helping to draw up budget forecasts;

– performing a variety of administrative or technical tasks in one or more of the following areas: managing projects/programmes/contracts (scientific, technical, administrative and cooperative), personnel management, building management, logistics, communication and IT management.

(c) In the area of file and language management:

– word processing, putting documents in the proper form, creating tables, diary management, correspondence, filing, organising meetings and receiving visitors;

– pre-processing and post-processing documents using translation tools, word-processing software and other office applications;

– preparing language resources for the language units and external translation service providers (translation memories and software, terminology databases, etc.);

– assisting, as a legal auxiliary, lawyer-linguists with the legal and linguistic finalisation of draft legislative acts with a view to their publication in the Official Journal.

(d) In the area of communication, IT and security:

– carrying out documentary research (internet/intranet/databases) in connection with the preparation of publications, filing and archiving sets of documents on given topics;

– organising events of various kinds (visits, press conferences, interviews, information campaigns, exhibitions);

– contributing to and fostering contacts with the public, internal and external visitors, the media, external service providers, national bodies and networks of correspondents in civil society;

– managing and maintaining a presence for the department on social networks;

– developing and maintaining departmental applications (small-scale applications managing a specific activity) or advanced office management applications (macros), providing support to users of the systems concerned;

– promoting the adoption or drawing-up of standards and monitoring their development in connection with the management of data, documents and processes;

– organising regular meetings with users in order to establish their needs;

– organising training for the users of the applications developed;

– managing transfers of information to and from other databases;

– performing all tasks in one or more of the following sectors: security, access and accreditation, protection of persons and property, threat preparedness, investigations;

– helping to prepare and coordinate the deployment of staff and equipment in the light of risk analyses;

– overseeing and monitoring security zones during European Parliament meetings on the basis of risk analyses conducted by the relevant departments, proposing solutions tailored to the level of risk and deploying the appropriate equipment and staff.

3.     AM I ELIGIBLE?

To be eligible, on the closing date for applications, ALL the following general and specific criteria must be met. Before applying for this internal competition, you must check that the information about your career in HRM Portal corresponds to all eligibility criteria set hereafter and that your data in HRM Portal as regards your main language and nationality is correct.

3.1. General eligibility criteria

3.1.1.    Compliance with Article 28 of the Staff Regulations

Since this is an internal competition, candidates are presumed to meet all the general recruitment conditions referred to in Article 28 paragraphs b) to f) of the Staff Regulations regarding officials, in Article 12(2) paragraphs b) to e) of the CEOS regarding temporary agents or in Article 82(3) paragraphs b) to e) of the CEOS regarding contract agents, as applicable.

To be eligible for this internal competition, you must be a national of a Member State of the European Union (EU)*.

*Given the Bureau’s decision of 2 May 2018, and on the basis of Article 1(1)(i) of Annex III to the Staff Regulations, the Appointing Authority has decided to open this internal competition also to European Parliament officials, temporary agents and contract agents who are not nationals of one of the Member States of the European Union, but are nationals of the United Kingdom, and who were recruited by Parliament prior to the end of the transition period on 31 December 2020.

NB: In this context, nationals of the United Kingdom, and only for the purpose of completing the application form for this competition, should tick the checkbox in Apply4EP stating that they are a ‘national of one of the Member States’.

3.1.2.    Status and seniority

In accordance with Article 2 of the internal rules on the recruitment of officials and other servants (General Implementing Provisions of 17 October 2014), this internal competition is open only to staff of Parliament who also meet the following general eligibility criteria:

On the closing date for applications (22 May 2026), candidates for grade AD 6 must:

(a) be officials or temporary agents or contract agents in Function Group (FG) IV* of Parliament; and

(b) have served for at least 36 full months in Parliament, which do not have to be consecutive, as officials or temporary agents or contract agents in any FG, or as any combination of these categories.

On the closing date for applications (22 May 2026), candidates for grade AST 2 must:

(a) be officials or temporary agents or contract agents in FG III* or FG IV* of Parliament; and

(b) have served for at least 36 full months in Parliament, which do not have to be consecutive, as officials or temporary agents or contract agents in any FG, or as any combination of these categories.

*The Appointing Authority’s decision is based on the limitation in the Article 82(7) of the CEOS, which specifies eligibility criteria for contract staff applying to specific grades in internal competitions.

For the calculation of the required period specified in the paragraphs above, the following administrative statuses are considered, as defined by Article 35 of the Staff Regulations:

·      ‘active employment’;

·       ‘leave for military service’;

·       ‘parental leave or family leave’;

·       ‘secondment’.

3.2. Specific eligibility criteria

3.2.1.    Education

For administrators AD 6, you must have completed:

–       a level of education which corresponds to completed university studies of at least three years, as attested by a diploma that is officially recognised in one of the Member States of the European Union.

For assistants AST 2, you must have completed:

–       a level of post-secondary education attested by a diploma, or

–      a level of secondary education attested by a diploma, giving access to higher education followed by professional experience of at least three years in a field related to the tasks described under Section 2.2 of this notice. This professional experience will not be taken into account when evaluating the professional experience stipulated in Section 3.2.2 of this notice.

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.

Candidates holding diplomas issued in a non-EU country must enclose with their application the recognised EU-equivalence of their diploma(s). In case such equivalence is not available at the time of application, a confirmation of the request submitted to the competent national authority must be attached. In any case, the EU-equivalence must be provided at the latest before recruitment.

For further information on recognition of qualifications obtained in a non-EU country in the ENIC-NARIC networks, see https://www.enic-naric.net/. The selection board will take account of the differences between education systems. Examples of the minimum qualifications required are given in the table included in the Guide.

3.2.2.    Professional experience

For administrators AD 6:

After obtaining the educational qualifications giving access to the competition (see Section 3.2.1 above), you must have acquired at least 24 months’ professional experience relevant to the duties of an Administrator as specified in Section 2.1 of this notice.

For assistants AST 2:

After obtaining the educational qualifications giving access to the competition (see Section 3.2.1. above), candidates must have acquired at least 24 months’ professional experience relevant to the duties of an Assistant as specified in Section 2.2 of this notice.

In order to prove your professional experience, please refer to the Guide (Section 2.2.2.1 ‘Professional experience’).

3.2.3.    Knowledge of languages

You must have a thorough knowledge (level C1 minimum) of one of the European Union’s official languages (language 1): Bulgarian, Croatian, Czech, Danish, Dutch, English, Estonian, Finnish, French, German, Greek, Hungarian, Irish, Italian, Latvian, Lithuanian, Maltese, Polish, Portuguese, Romanian, Slovak, Slovenian, Spanish or Swedish; and

a satisfactory knowledge (level B2 minimum) of English or French (language 2). Language 2 must be different from language 1.

The language registered as your main language in HRM Portal will be regarded as your language 1. If language 1 declared in the application file is not the main language registered in HRM Portal, the selection board may ask the Talent Selection and Outreach Unit (‘TSOU’) to correct it in the application file so that it corresponds with the language registered in HRM Portal. In the event that language 1 and language 2 are the same after this correction, language 2 will be changed to the other language 2 of this competition (English or French). Any candidate concerned will be notified accordingly.

You must therefore:

1.     check your main language in HRM Portal;

2.     indicate in the application file your main language as language 1;

3.     select either English or French as your language 2, which is the language in which you will sit all the tests (multiple-choice question test (hereinafter, ‘MCQ test’), written test and interview).

Candidates whose main language (language 1) is English or French are required to have a satisfactory knowledge of the other language (language 2), i.e. English or French.

Please note that the minimum levels required above apply to each area of language skills (speaking, writing, reading and listening). These skills correspond to those specified in the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages, where C2 represents the highest level and A1 the lowest.

4.     HOW WILL THE COMPETITION BE ORGANISED?

For each grade of the competition, the Appointing Authority will draw up a list of those candidates who submitted their application file in accordance with the arrangements and by the deadline stipulated in Section 6 ‘How to apply’ of the notice. This list will be sent to the Chair of the selection board.

The competition is based on tests.

It consists of three stages:

1. General eligibility check and check of candidates’ languages;

2. Testing session (Multiple choice questions test (‘MCQ’) and written test) and specific eligibility criteria check (education and professional experience);

3. Marking of the written test and interview.

4.1.     General eligibility criteria check and check of candidates’ languages

The selection board will check the general eligibility criteria (see Section 3.1.2) and declared knowledge of languages (see Section 3.2.3) of all candidates whose names figure on the Appointing Authority’s list. The selection board may ask TSOU to verify candidates’ status and length of their professional activity in Parliament via the data consultation module in HRM Portal. It may also ask TSOU to correct language 1 and/or language 2 in line with the Section 3.2.3. of this notice.

All eligible candidates will be invited to the testing session.

4.2. Testing session (MCQ and written test) and specific eligibility criteria check

The testing session will consist of an MCQ test and a written test per grade of the competition and may be held online or in Parliament’s premises.

4.2.1.    MCQ test

The MCQ test in language 2 (English or French) will last 60 minutes. There will be one MCQ test for each grade (i.e. one test for AD 6 and one test for AST 2). The MCQ score does not count for the final score.

The MCQ test will have the following structure in terms of questions and marking:

4.2.2.    Written test for administrators AD 6

Written test in language 2 (English or French) will be based on a set of documents to assess analytical skills, problem-solving, decision-making, and written communication.

There will be no choice of subject for the written test.

–       Maximum time allowed: 75 minutes

–       Marking: 0 to 50 points

–       Pass mark: 25 points

4.2.3.    Written test for assistants AST 2

A written test in language 2 (English or French) designed to simulate the daily reality of an AST 2 official and to measure critical thinking (including attention to detail, hands-on problem solving, application of rules) and written communication through 2 or 3 tasks in an integrated operational context.

There will be no choice of subject for the written test.

–       Maximum time allowed: 75 minutes

–       Marking: 0 to 50 points

–       Pass mark: 25 points

For both grades, the written test will take place directly after the MCQ test.

Candidates will receive instructions concerning the testing session in good time. The tests will take place at a specific time on a specific date. If a candidate fails to show up for a test, the candidate may be disqualified. The candidates must follow the selection board’s instructions strictly. Any failure to follow the selection board’s instructions or any action not consistent with them will lead to immediate disqualification.

4.2.4.    Specific eligibility criteria check

The selection board will check the specific eligibility (see Section 3.2.1. and Section 3.2.2.) of candidates who obtained the highest scores in the MCQ test for each grade. The checks will be performed in descending order starting with the files of candidates who obtained the highest MCQ test scores in each grade of the competition. The selection board will stop performing the eligibility checks when the number of candidates found to be eligible reaches double the number of suitable candidates sought for each grade. The selection board will admit any eligible candidates tied for the final qualifying place in the MCQ test for each grade.

For each grade, the selection board will draw up a list of candidates who comply with the specific eligibility criteria specified in Section 3.2.1. and Section 3.2.2. of this notice. Candidates on this list will be admitted to the competition.

The selection board will base its decisions on the information given on the application form and substantiated by the accompanying supporting documents submitted with the application (see the Guide for further details). The selection board may ask TSOU to verify the length of candidates’ service and career in Parliament via the data consultation module in HRM Portal.

At the end of this stage, candidates will be notified whether they have been admitted to the competition for the respective grade (AD 6 or AST 2).

4.3. Marking of the written test and interview

All candidates admitted to the competition will be invited to the interview and their written test will be marked.

4.3.1.    Interview

For administrators AD 6:

Interview with the selection board in language 2 (English or French) to test competencies required to perform the duties of an administrator in Parliament: communication skills, judgement, diplomatic sensitivity, developing relationships, adaptability, and understanding of Parliament's role and the EU institutional context.

–       Maximum duration: 45 minutes

–       Marking: 0 to 50 points

–       Pass mark: 25 points.

For assistants AST 2:

Interview with the selection board in language 2 (English or French) to test competencies required to perform the duties of an assistant in Parliament: communication skills, ability to apply rules and procedures, organisational skills in support of administrative activities, client service, working with others, adaptability, and understanding of Parliament's role.

–       Maximum duration: 45 minutes

–       Marking: 0 to 50 points

–       Pass mark: 25 points.

The interview for both grades will be held in person.

Candidates will receive instructions in good time prior to the interview. The interview will take place at a specific time on a specific date.

Candidates who do not reply to an invitation, who cannot be contacted by email or who fail to show up for an interview may be disqualified. Candidates must follow the instructions to the letter. Any failure to follow the instructions or any action not consistent with the instructions may lead to immediate disqualification.

5.     LIST OF SUITABLE CANDIDATES

On the basis of the test results, the selection board will draw up a list of suitable candidates per grade, as laid down in Section 1. This list will include the eligible candidates with the highest overall scores in the written test and in the interview, provided they have passed each of the tests.

The list will include any candidates tied for the final qualifying place. Candidates will be listed in alphabetical order.

Candidates will be informed individually of their results and the list of suitable candidates will be published on the European Parliament intranet.

The list of suitable candidates will remain valid until 31 December of the third year following the signature of the list of suitable candidates. The Appointing Authority may decide to extend its validity beyond that date. If extended, the candidates on the list will be informed at the relevant time.

Candidates who are offered a job will be required to produce the originals of all required documents, including diplomas and employment certificates, for verification.

Inclusion on a list of suitable candidates does not constitute either a right to, or a guarantee of, recruitment.

6.     HOW TO APPLY

You must apply online on the Apply4EP platform by:

12.00 (noon) Brussels/Luxembourg time on 22 May 2026.

You must read carefully the Guide before completing the application form and must provide the relevant supporting documents.

NB: When applying online, you must specify the grade for which you are applying (AD 6 or AST 2). You can apply for one grade only. Submitting applications for both grades, whether with the same or different accounts, will lead to disqualification from both grades.

An acknowledgement of receipt will be sent to you automatically after you have submitted your application form.

All communication about this competition must be through your Apply4EP account. Please DO NOT CALL to ask about this competition.

It is your responsibility to check regularly for correspondence concerning the competition, which will be sent to the email address you indicated in your Apply4EP account.