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Michiel H., Case handler

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Since 2017, I have been working as a case handler at the European Commission’s competition department, in the team enforcing EU State aid rules for banks in difficulty. I write State aid decisions, conduct complex economic and legal assessments, and coordinate closely with Member State authorities and other EU stakeholders. It is exciting work, involving a delicate balance between protecting financial stability and preventing unfair competition.

Having joined the Commission in 2012, I first worked for five years on the EU’s macroeconomic and budgetary surveillance of one of the largest euro-area countries. Given the public debt crisis then, it was a challenging but also interesting period.

I am trained as an economist and hold a Master’s Degree in Commercial Engineering from the University of Leuven and a postgraduate degree in European Economic Studies from the College of Europe. Before joining the European Commission as an EU official, I worked for two years in strategy consulting, did a blue-book traineeship at the Cabinet of the European Commissioner for Trade, and participated in the Graduate Programme of the European Central Bank.

Aleks, Financial Officer

“Hello, my name is Aleks (she/her), and I work as a Financial Officer at the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Budget (DG BUDG). My main responsibilities are in the areas of EU Green Bond financing and Asset Management Coordination. I’m also a member of the Commission’s Task Force on Equality.

Colleagues in my unit, including the Head of Unit, who were the first to be aware of my gender identity, were very supportive and understanding of my transition. Eventually, when the whole directorate became aware of my identity, I can confidently say that I have not had a single bad experience but rather found support and ‘kind curiosity’. I also prepared some materials on transgender issues with senior management, an initiative that was very well accepted by all. Transgender people can find a safe working environment in DG BUDG. Challenges remain, of course, especially when it comes to recognition and digital administrative systems, but positive changes are coming and I am happy to see and be part of various internal task forces and groups working on how to further improve current systems.

There’s a long path ahead but we are on the right course. I believe transgender people will be warmly welcomed in any team in the Commission.”

Gabor (Economist - European Commission)

“I started my Commission career in DG ECFIN and have been working for DG Competition in the last ten years as a member of the Chief Economist Team. This group of roughly 30 economists is involved in those competition investigations that require in-depth knowledge of economic theory or complex empirical contributions. Working at the Chief Economist Team gave me the opportunity to work on mergers and acquisitions in several industries, from petrochemicals to stock exchanges, and to contribute to some of the most interesting antitrust investigations concerning Google’s and Amazon’s digital services. Besides the case-specific work we are also involved in policy projects, for example I co-authored a study on how industrial concentration changed in Europe in the last 20 years. As an economist trained in empirical industrial organisation and interested in competition policy, this is indeed a great place to work.”

Sophie, European Commission

sophie seated

“European transport policy touches upon everyone’s daily lives. That is what I realised soon after I started working in the Transport Committee of the European Parliament 15 years ago. I am now in DG MOVE (Directorate-General for Mobility and Transport) in the inter-institutional relations team.

In this coordination unit, you have a very good overview of the DG and the pending ad upcoming MOVE proposals. It’s a perfect position to understand the working methods and dynamics of other institutions as well. It is extremely interesting to closely follow the proposals though the different stages of the co-legislation process and to see how the text evolves in the Council working parties/Coreper meetings and parliamentary Committees/plenaries, and later during the trilogue negotiations”.

 

Sandra Cristina A. (European Commission, Directorate-General for Budget)

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Back in 1992, when I was taking my accountancy bachelor’s degree in Porto, Portugal, my public accountancy professor explained to us what the then European Community would mean to Portugal (which had joined 6 years earlier) and the impact it would have in the way accountancy, reporting and public accountability were disclosed.

After some years working in the private and public sector in Portugal, I joined the European Commission in 2003, having passed a competition for accounting assistants. I was very excited to come to Brussels as I wanted to be part of the team which was the centre of competence for accounting and financial control of the European Union (EU).

Coming from a country in the western periphery of the EU which has been very dependent on EU aid, I appreciate that my work contributes to good decision-making in the EU and provides stakeholders with meaningful financial information about the use of EU resources.

To achieve this, our team analyses the operational data provided by the different services, DG’s and Institutions and processes it in order to deliver high quality accounting information, on time, efficiently and in an innovative manner. 

As I progressed in my career, I was able to participate in a myriad of projects and to take on new and exciting responsibilities and learn a lot about the diverse financial activities of the Commission and the other EU entities (the European Parliament, EU agencies, etc). 

In case you wonder, there is never a dull moment! Work is complex and challenging but my unit is both young and dynamic: we genuinely enjoy working together so as to support the goals of the EU and celebrating together our achievements, both professional and personal!

Soledad (Economist - Council of the EU)

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I joined the Council’s Directorate-General for Economic and Financial Affairs in 2016, and this is my second post here. In my first post I had the unique opportunity to be responsible for the negotiations on the Recovery and Resilience Facility, the main programme of NextGenerationEU, the post-pandemic recovery plan.

In my current post in the Budget and Cohesion Unit, I am in charge of the budget heading dealing with the Union’s external action, and as a result I was also fortunate enough to be responsible for the negotiations on the EUR 18bn macro-financial assistance package to Ukraine for 2023.

Before coming to the Council, I worked in DG FISMA at the Commission, and before that I worked at the European Parliament, where I had the chance to support the negotiations on the so-called six-pack and two-pack (the Stability and Growth Pact and the Macroeconomic Imbalances Procedure).

In sum, while I don’t work as a hardcore economist, my job does require the thinking, the knowledge and the type of analysis that an economist’s work does. Having a handle on the figures and being able to interpret them is always a valuable skill to bring to your work. And as you can see, you can switch institutions as and when it suits you, which also enriches your growth and your work – particularly, for example, during negotiations. I’m never bored!

Preslav M, Financial Assistant

I have been working in the European Parliament for five years. In my Unit, we advise and support the Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) in the management of their local assistants’ and local service providers’ contracts. ‘Local’ in this context means that the operations are occurring in the countries in which the MEPs were elected. 

My role is to make sure that MEP’s requests are handled professionally and payments to their staff and service providers are made on time. An important part of my job is to verify and guarantee the legality and regularity of these transactions by ensuring that the appropriate rules are observed. 

The variety of situations and questions that I face daily, while having direct contact with MEPs and their assistants, is what I consider the most challenging but also interesting aspect of my job. Furthermore, it is rewarding to know that my work contributes to the sound and transparent management of the Parliament's finance and budget.

Yolanda (European Commission)

"Crisis management encompasses the response to emergencies, in Europe and around the world. Organised along the pillars of civil protection and humanitarian aid, crisis management, for DG ECHO, means tight deadlines, coordination with the other EU institutions and the Member States and with international organisations, travel, and, most of all, the sense that you are doing something that brings tangible benefits to millions. I work in communication – keeping the public informed on what the Union is doing in response to crises from the COVID-19 pandemic to the activation of the civil protection mechanism for Ukraine, to the organization of humanitarian air bridges to the strengthening of the EU’s firefighting fleet. Every day brings something different."

Charalampos K. (European Parliament, Ex-Ante Verification Service)

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My name is Charalampos; I joined the European Parliament in Luxembourg after passing a financial officer competition. I am now coordinating the small Ex-Ante Verification team where I started my EU career as a clerical and financial officer in 2019.

Our job is essentially to act as the internal controllers for public procurement and contract execution matters in our DG. This position leads me to interact with other finance and procurement specialists as well as legal advisors dealing with tender procedures and contract execution, mainly in the IT field. It is very fulfilling to interact with them, to understand the varied aspects of procurement they deal with, to hunt for inconsistencies, and to help them solve possible problems.

Before joining the Parliament, I was working for the Defence Ministry in Greece as a financial officer in the fields of accounting, budgeting and public procurement. My wife and I fancied working for an international organisation, so we studied together, and we both successfully passed the same competition! My wife is now working as an accountant officer at Parliament’s DG Finance and our family is happily settled in Luxembourg.

Adja (European Commission - Directorate General for Economic and Financial Affairs)

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Applying for EPSO’s competition for economists can be a great opportunity from many respects!

Hi, my name is Adja and I am a macroeconomist at the European Commission, DG ECFIN. I have a Ph.D. in applied international economics (major econometrics) from the University of Namur. Before joining the European Commission, I worked in the Federal Planning Bureau in Brussels.

Since 2019, I am working in the field of EU fiscal policy. I first spent some years in the unit in charge of the coordination of Member States’ surveillance in the context of the Stability and Growth Pact. Being in constant interaction with many units and colleagues across the DG, was a great experience, which definitely has developed both my practical knowledge on the application of the Pact, a cornerstone of the EU policy, and my leadership skills. It also widened my horizon as regards the different factors driving the EU fiscal policy and public debt developments.

As a result, I recently joined the unit responsible for monitoring and assessing the sustainability of EU public finances in relation to fiscal risks stemming, for instance, from ageing population and related issues (like pensions, health care and long-term care spending), green transition or banking sector. This is a very exciting job, involving a holistic approach to consider fiscal risks arising outside the realm of public finances stricto sensu, some of these risks being also part of the EU major challenges ahead.

So, what can you expect if you work for the European Commission?

  • First, you will have the opportunities to deal with many challenges and responsibilities, that are linked to EU policies with a direct impact on Member States,
  • Second, you will work with various talented and inspiring colleagues from different backgrounds, both cultural and professional ones.
  • Finally, you will also have many occasions to be involved in a broad variety of topics ranging, for instance, from macroeconomic forecasts to the implementation of EU fiscal rules.

So just give it a try, have a look at the Notice of Competition and apply!