Eduardo González
Spain contributes almost 7,000 civil servants to the European institutions, which represents nine percent of the total number of EU workers, a percentage slightly higher than the rate recommended by Brussels for each country in order to guarantee geographical balance.
This is indicated in the report Spain’s European policy: preparation and priorities, prepared by the Elcano Royal Institute under the coordination of researchers Raquel García and Ignacio Molina and which was presented yesterday in Madrid.
According to official data cited by the study, in all European institutions there are 76,385 personnel, with an increase of 1,310 compared to July 2022. Of these, Spanish personnel amount to 6,879, 148 more than in July 2022.
This figure represents 9% of the total number of employees in the institutions, slightly above the guide index of 8.9% that the Commission has set for Spain. The guide index establishes the recommended percentage of employees from each Member State in order to guarantee geographical balance. “That is, the recommended percentage of Spanish presence is exceeded,” highlights Elcano.
However, if the agencies (specialized organizations distributed in the Member States to provide help in specific areas, whether scientific, technical, legal or social) are removed from the calculation, the Spanish presence ratio drops to 8.3%.
The Commission, at the head
Of the set of European institutions, not counting the agencies, those with the most Spanish staff are the Commission (2,642), the European Parliament (815), the European Central Bank (ECB, 415) and the European Investment Bank (EIB, 392). In terms of total staff, these are also the four institutions with the most employees. On the other hand, those with the least Spanish presence are the Committee of the Regions (37), the European Data Protection Service (13) and the Ombudsman (3). Again, these are the institutions with the least staff in total terms.
In proportional terms, the institutions with the most Spaniards are the European Data Protection Service (9.42% of Spaniards of the total), the European Central Bank (9.11%) and the European Investment Bank (8.51%). At the bottom are the Ombudsman (4.16%) and the Court of Justice of the EU (5.51%). Of the total Spanish workforce, 78% correspond to permanent employees and the remaining 22% to contracted employees.
The European Commission, according to a report by the Spanish Presence Unit (UDA, created in 2004 and located in the Permanent Representation of Spain, REPER), has 30,000 personnel, which represents 41.3% of employment in the institutions. European. Likewise, and according to the latest data from the Commission, the presence of Spaniards on the Commission stands at 8.6%, that is, it does not reach the established guide index of 8.9%.
Compared to other Member States, only Belgium and Italy have a higher presence than recommended by the guide index: Belgium has a presence of 14.6% – the highest percentage of all Member States – against a guide index of 3. 1%, and Italy 14.5% – the second highest – compared to an index of 11.2%. “Without a doubt, the case of Belgium is explained by the headquarters effect,” warns Elcano. On the contrary, Germany stands out for the low presence of nationals (6.7%), despite being the country with the highest guide index (13.8%). Among the causes would be the lack of attractiveness of European jobs for its nationals and the retirement of the first generations of European civil servants.
Within the Commission, the Elcano report also highlights the presence of Spaniards at the level of administrators, the highest of civil servants and in charge of developing and deciding on public policies. Specifically, the index is 8.3%. However, it falls far behind other countries, such as Italy (12%) and France (10.3%).
In terms of presence in management positions – that is, at the highest levels within administrators – 7.8% of the total are Spanish, a percentage that is within the levels established as balanced by the Commission. However, “there is a lot of room for improvement,” warns Elcano. Specifically, Spain has three general directors and six deputy general directors.
