The European Ombudsman, Jacob Söderman, welcomes the decisions of the Commission and the Parliament to end the use of age limits in recruitment with immediate effect. "The decisions show that they really have undertaken to follow in practice the Charter of Fundamental Rights proclaimed in Nice in December 2000" says the Ombudsman.

Announcing the news, Parliament President Pat Cox said: "I am pleased to inform you that the Bureau of the European Parliament decided, at its meeting of 8 April 2002, that (it) will no longer apply age limits to any selection procedure it launches."

In a letter to the Ombudsman, Commission President Romano Prodi states: "No Commission competitions published after today will apply an upper age limit for applicants."

Both institutions point out that they will not agree to use age limits in any selection procedure organised by the European Recruitment Office. This Office, which will organise competitions to recruit officials for all of the EU institutions and bodies, should be set up by the end of 2002. The Ombudsman had refused to sign a decision setting up the Office if age limits were to be used.

Most EU institutions and bodies no longer use age limits. The Ombudsman will continue his battle to end age discrimination in all of them. In a recent letter to the Secretary General of the Council, Mr. Javier Solana, Mr. Söderman criticised the arguments used to justify age limits. These include reliance on a Court judgement made in 1972.

The Ombudsman's action is based on Article 21 of the Charter of Fundamental Rights. This prohibits discrimination based on any ground such as age. The Ombudsman argues that the Charter should be put into practice within the EU institutions and bodies as it was solemnly proclaimed in Nice by the Presidents of the three most important institutions. "A failure to keep their promises will surely have a corrosive effect on the already poor relations between the EU and its citizens," he says.

 

The letters from Presidents Prodi and Cox, and Mr. Söderman's letter to Mr. Solana, can be found at:
http://www.ombudsman.europa.eu/age/en/default.htm

 

For further information, please contact Mr. Ian Harden, Head of the Legal Department, tel: +32 (0) 2 284 38 49.