EU Commission considers posting officials to member-state capitals

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BRUSSELS — The European Commission is considering stationing its officials in EU capitals, speeding up recruitment and getting the institution “AI-ready,” according to a sweeping set of proposals unveiled in an internal meeting Monday.

“There is an appetite for change,” said Piotr Serafin, the commissioner responsible for human resources. “There’s a readiness to reform the Commission … among the staff.”

The potential changes are part of the Commission’s first comprehensive workplace review in two decades. Launched last year, the review aims to make the Commission more efficient and a more attractive employer, with final recommendations due to be presented to President Ursula von der Leyen by the end of 2026.

The review comes as von der Leyen’s self-described “geopolitical Commission” confronts growing demands, from trade tensions with Washington and Beijing to supporting Ukraine against Russia. Its expanding role has also sharpened sensitivities in some capitals about the EU executive’s growing reach.

Monday’s proposals include shifting more officials from the Commission’s Brussels headquarters to EU capitals to strengthen ties with the bloc’s 27 member countries, accelerating the promotion of a new generation of leaders ahead of an expected wave of retirements, and preparing the institution to become “AI-ready,” according to a senior official involved in the review.

The official, granted anonymity to discuss the contents of the internal report, stressed that the proposals stopped short of abolishing any of the Commission’s 41 directorate-generals (DGs), the EU executive’s policy departments, or creating additional ones. It also won’t recommend cutting staff.

Instead, the focus was on making sure staff are not “siloed” in their departments and can collaborate more easily, the official said, along with reprioritizing work to make better use of existing resources.

‘More and more’

That effort may still require more people. According to a second official, the Commission plans to hire an additional 1,500 staff under the EU’s next seven-year budget, which starts in 2028, alongside another 1,000 roles across other EU institutions.

The first batch of recommendations — laid out in a 400-page report compiled by senior officials from 15 departments — was presented to all 30,000 Commission staff during a virtual meeting on Monday.

Serafin noted that the Commission employs around 1,500 fewer staff than it did in 2014 — even as demands have grown.

The Commission is expected to do “more and more,” he warned, arguing the institution needs adequate funding to match its expanding responsibilities.

Part of the solution, he said, is rethinking where EU officials work. More Brussels-based staff should spend time in national administrations of member countries to deepen cooperation.

“We have the people from the national administrations coming to Brussels, and I believe that we should also invest into the model of EU officials going to national administrations to have this cross-fertilizing of both systems,” he said.

Best talent

Recruitment remains another weak spot. Serafin singled out the European Personnel Selection Office, arguing that its lengthy hiring process is undermining the Commission’s ability to compete for talent.

“My biggest concern with the current model of EPSO is that it takes two to three years from the moment of application to the moment to the first salary,” he said. “This is not a recipe for attracting the best talent to the European institutions.”

Meanwhile, changes at the top are already looming, POLITICO’s Brussels Playbook reported . Several senior roles are expected to open in the coming months as officials retire or move on.

Among them is Gert Jan Koopman, the veteran Dutch official running the Commission’s DG ENEST enlargement department, according to two EU officials.

Michael Karnitschnig, currently acting director-general of DG MENA (foreign relations in the Middle East and North Africa), and Deputy Director-General Despina Spanou of DG CONNECT (comms networks and tech) are both tipped as candidates to replace him, which would leave their roles vacant.