Each selection procedure (competition) for permanent EU officials has its own selection board. Each selection board is composed of officials from the EU institutions and bodies served by EPSO. Officials join the selection board on a voluntary basis, following a dedicated call for interest. Selection board members are nominated formally by their organisation of origin. They must have no conflict of interest as regards their competition in order to be confirmed as members of the selection board.

In the case of competitions published until 31 December 2022, selection boards consist, generally, of permanent members and non-permanent members. Permanent members are EU officials seconded to EPSO from their organisations of origin usually for a period of 2 or 4 years. Non-permanent members are EU officials appointed by their organisations of origin to a particular competition for their technical or linguistic expertise, for example. In the case of competitions published after 1 January 2023, selection boards no longer include permanent members systematically. Gradually, selection boards will be composed of non-permanent members only.

Nominated selection board members are trained on selection and assessment methodologies before they take up their duties and continue to receive specific training and guidance from EPSO’s team of psychologists during the different stages of their competition.

Selection boards decide on the difficulty of the competition tests and approve their content, assess the candidates’ compliance with the specific eligibility criteria, compare candidates’ merits, and select the best candidates in the light of the requirements set out in the notice of competition. The proceedings of the selection boards are secrete and their work is facilitated by EPSO.