2014.02.14 – Breaking news : parachuting no longer exist ?

For several weeks, R&D reported a real invasion of “parachutists” jumping from all floors of the Berlaymont to senior management posts which were freed in advance, sometimes by thanking acting colleagues who often occupied those posts for months…

These nominations and career accelerations are all the more unacceptable when the post-2004 colleagues still have no real solution for the damage they suffered, the internal competitions were diverted from their original purposes and all staff are subject to increasing restrictions!

There no longer appears to be a limit!

Some announce that an appointment/establishment/promotion with a jump of 4 grades is in preparation!

Until then, in all its simplicity, R&D had thought that the fact that the outcome of the appointment procedure was known by everyone long before its publication was simply a legendary case of telepathy or collective fortune-telling worthy of Star Wars. The proof is that Harry Potter had congratulated the College each time as decisions were adopted (see leaflet “telepathy of an announced parachute jump“)!

We must recognize that we did not understand anythink at all!

n fact, reading an article in the press on a hearing of the Commission before the Committee on Budgetary Con­trol (COCOBU), we finally acknowledged that Commission denied the practising of ‘parachuting’, i. e., the ap­pointment of commissioners’ personal staff to civil service posts toward the end of their mandate “…denied that the Commission practised ‘parachutage’ – the appointment of commissioners’ personal staff to civil- service posts toward the end of their mandate”.(europeanvoice 23.01.2014)

Being incapable of imagining that this information to the European Parliament (EP) is unfounded and recognizing that there is not ONE colleague from any service that can – even if it were a single moment -share it, R&D has immediately appointed a very high-level independent scientific committee level to carry out the verifications nec­essary to understand what is happening.

We can tell you about the preliminary findings of this work.

There are several scientific explanations to understand why staff imagine that the end of Commission ‘parachuting’ exists when in fact it is now proven that it does not exist.

First results from the Scientific Research Committee

  1. It seems that a Eurosceptic policy virus has succeeded in creeping into the air conditioning facilities of all buildings to establish a fungus that has hallucinogenic visions capabilities including vision of “parachutists” landing everywhere. Some, however, point out the limits of this explanation as staff continue to see parachutists landing in services even when the windows of the offices are open and the air conditioning is off.
  2. Thus, following more detailed technical checks, it is apparent thatit is also the water distributed in canteens and cafeteriasthat has been infected by an equally hallucinogenic tiny fish! The proof is that the visions have declined somewhat since the staff drink less ater because of soaring prices in canteens. Some, however, say that does not explain the origins of hallucinations suffered by journalists far from Brussels. It suffices to note that even Malta has been affected by this pollution and there also e continue to see “parachutists” : maltatoday 21.02.2014

Alas, it is now clear that the College wants to exceed the “achievements” of the Prodi/Kinnock Commission in terms of ‘parachuting’ and that the management of those appointments becomes, moreover, arrogant and cheeky! And we know that it is the credibility of our institution and its nomination procedures that will be involved and, again, it is the staff who will pay the bill by undergoing attacks and reform proposals. Because the College passes, but the staff remains and pay the bill!

In these conditions:

It should be clear that the staff cannot be held responsible for these abuses.

R&D is committed to prepare a complete file which will be also sent to the members of the new EP so that they can take it into account at the hearings of outgoing Commissioners who would be candidates for a new term. Indeed, it seems reasonable that they can also be called to answer for the past management practices of their cabinets and the appointments from which they have been responsible … and will naturally, in turn, try to deny that ‘parachuting’ exists.

And, of course, we wish them to be very convincing!