The Staff Regulations are the founding legal framework governing officials of the European Union. First adopted as Regulation 31 (EEC) in 1962 and amended many times since, they define the rights, duties, careers, pay and pensions of everyone employed by the EU institutions.
The Staff Regulations proper apply to officials, the permanent civil servants recruited from EPSO reserve lists. Attached to them is the Conditions of Employment of Other Servants, known as the CEOS, which extends comparable rules to temporary agents, contract agents, special advisers and local staff. Together these texts set out how staff are recruited and graded, how basic salary, the correction coefficient and allowances such as the expatriation allowance are calculated, how the probationary period and promotion work, and what leave, pension and social-security entitlements officials enjoy. They also codify the obligations that come with EU service: independence, discretion, loyalty and the duty to act solely in the Union's interest. Because they are an EU regulation, the Staff Regulations are directly binding and are interpreted by the Court of Justice, whose case law fills in the detail. Major reforms, notably in 2004 and 2014, reshaped grades, pay and pension arrangements, which is why entitlements can differ between staff recruited under different regimes. Almost every specific rule an EU employee relies on, from grade steps to family allowances, ultimately traces back to a provision of the Staff Regulations.
Frequently asked questions
- What do the Staff Regulations cover?
- They set the rights, duties, recruitment, grading, pay, allowances, probation, promotion, leave and pensions of EU officials. The attached Conditions of Employment of Other Servants extend comparable rules to temporary agents, contract agents and other non-official staff.
- When were the Staff Regulations first adopted?
- They were first adopted as Regulation 31 (EEC) in 1962 and have been amended many times since, with major reforms in 2004 and 2014 that reshaped grades, pay and pensions. As an EU regulation they are directly binding on the institutions.