Surge in Eurocrat hopefuls forces EU selection agency to rethink tests

The European Commission is planning to stagger its long-awaited general civil service exam over several days, with candidates progressing through successive rounds, three officials told Euractiv. 

More than 170,000 candidates have applied to join the Commission’s army of eurocrats through its generalist recruitment exams – roughly three times the number expected by the European Personnel Selection Office (EPSO), the EU’s personnel selection office.

Yet, the surge in interest is straining EPSO’s systems, prompting a review of how to run the tests.

In a statement on Monday, the agency said it was considering “different scenarios.” In an email to Euractiv, Olivier Salles, the head of EPSO, wrote that different solutions, “including a multi-stage process,” are on the table.

The exam would be the first of its kind since 2019. The EPSO has been unable to organise large-scale online exams due to the pandemic and repeated IT difficulties.

Rounds on rounds

A likely…