Dear Mr X,

You recently submitted a complaint to the European Ombudsman about how the European Personnel Selection Office (EPSO) handled your complaint about technical issues, which you allegedly experienced during an online test in the context of selection procedure EPSO/AD/426/25. You reported these issues to the service provider by email.

EPSO rejected your complaint, arguing that you had failed to contact the service provider by phone as required by the Instructions for Online Testing[1]. EPSO therefore considered that it could not deal with your complaint.

In your complaint to the Ombudsman, you argue that the instructions attached to the invitation allowed candidates to report technical issues to the service provider either by phone or email.

After careful analysis of all the information you provided with your complaint, we have decided to close the inquiry with the following conclusion:

Based on the information provided in the complaint, there was no maladministration by the European Personnel Selection Office.

The relevant Notice of Competition[2] states that, where a technical issue arises, “if the problem occurs during testing, a candidate must […] (a) report the issue immediately strictly following the instructions outlined in the letter(s) inviting candidates to test(s) […]”. The Notice of Competition also says that complaints to EPSO about technical issues submitted by candidates who failed to undertake this reporting step will be considered inadmissible.

The letter inviting you to the test referred to the Instructions for Online Testing[3], which provide that “if a problem arises, first restart your computer. If it persists, call the TAO Support by phone +351 211 554 559 (Mon-Fri, 09:00-18:00 CET, English/French).”

In light of these rules, we consider that it was clear that, in the event of technical issues during an online test, candidates had to contact the service provider by phone only. As you contacted the service provider by email and not by phone, we consider it reasonable that EPSO rejected your complaint.

Yours sincerely,

 

Teresa Anjinho

European Ombudsman

Strasbourg, 20/07/2026

 

[1] See: https://eu-careers.europa.eu/system/files/2026-03/EN_Instructions%20for%20online%20Testing%20%28TAO%29%20March%202026.pdf

[2] See Annex I (General Rules) to the Notice of Competition (7. Concerns and Remedies): https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/PDF/?uri=OJ:C_202505881

[3] See Section 5.2: https://eu-careers.europa.eu/system/files/2026-03/EN_Instructions%20for%20online%20Testing%20%28TAO%29%20March%202026.pdf