The European Commission cannot restrict the choice of a second language to English, German or French in its recruitment process, the Court of Justice of the European Union ruled on Thursday.
To get some jobs in EU bodies, candidates have to go through a series of competitive tests – the so-called epso competitions – If they meet several conditions. These include being fluent in one of the bloc’s 24 languages and having a good knowledge of English, French or German, which are described as “the main working languages in EU institutions”.
But the top court said it was illegal, taking the side of Italy and Spain, which took the commission to court.
“It was not demonstrated that this restriction was justified in the interests of the service in recruiting staff which is immediately operational,” the court said. Government,
It upheld a previous ruling by the General Court, which ruled that limiting second languages to English, German and French was a “difference in treatment on the basis of language” that was “not objectively justifiable.”
Both courts found no evidence that “all three languages described as ‘procedural languages’ are in fact used by the Commission services, the Court of Auditors and the European Anti-Fraud Office (OLAF) in their daily work.”
The case pits the European Commission against the two largest EU member states, Italy and Spain. The result is a victory for the latter, as it will increase the chances of Spanish and Italian citizens landing commission jobs.