Recruitment

Opinion of 18 May 2009 on a notification for prior checking regarding trainee applications and recruitment (Case 2008-730)
The prior check concerned the processing of personal data in the collection of trainee selection and recruitment. The EDPS examined the processing in the light of the legal requirements of Regulation (EC) 45/2001 and concluded that there was no breach of the Regulation provided certain recommendations are taken into account and notably as concerns requests made to the medical service in case of requests for a disability allowance by the trainees. The Personnel and Budget Sector should limit its request to the medical service to disability related data which is strictly necessary for making a decision about the needs of the trainee and the amount of the additional grant to be supplied to disabled trainees and persons in charge of handling that data in the Personnel sector should be made aware that they are processing sensitive information and they should respect the confidentiality requirement.

Opinion of 7 May 2009 on notifications for prior checking of certain Community agencies concerning the "Staff recruitment procedures" (Case 2009-287)

Answer to a notification for prior checking relating to personal files at the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (Case 2009-073)

Avis du 27 avril 2009 sur la notification de contrôle préalable concernant les procédures de sélection des experts nationaux détachés (Dossier 2008-747)

FRA organises and manages the selection process of national experts for secondment in order to select the best suited candidates for a particular position. In order to select the best suited candidates, applicants have to follow various procedures (eligibility tests, interviews, etc). Such procedures entail the collection and further processing of candidates' personal data for the purposes of evaluating their competences for a given position.

In his opinion, the EDPS concluded that FRA has substantially followed all the principles of the Regulation. Nevertheless the EDPS recommended, among others, that FRA:

• Clarifies the conservation period taking into account the recommendations provided in the Opinion;
• Sets up a procedure for data subject’s access to personal data, including assessment notes of the selection board, within the limits described in the Opinion;
• Includes a link to the full privacy statement in FRA Web site in the section/notice dedicated to National Experts which they have to access when they complete the on-line application forms;
• Amends the privacy statement as recommended in the Opinion.

Opinion of 22 April 2009 on the notification for prior checking regarding "Junior Experts in Delegation" (Case 2008-754)

The purpose of the processing operation in this case is to examine the eligibility of candidates put forward by the Member States for the Junior Experts in Delegation (hereinafter "JED") programme, select JEDs, determine who will be offered a posting to a delegation, ensure proper implementation of all aspects of their two-year contract and evaluate their performance in discharging their duties within the delegation. This processing operation therefore falls within the scope of the prior checking procedure within the meaning of Article 27(2)(b) of Regulation (EC) No 45/2001.

Any person who submits an application for a JED post, any referees named by applicants or any person indicated by the JED as the person to contact in the event of an accident/emergency and, where applicable, the JED's spouse.

In its recommendations, the EDPS emphasised inter alia that the Commission should:

• reword as soon as possible the sentence on the candidates' right of appeal against the decision of the selection panel, in order to indicate more clearly the available channels and procedures for appeal;
• remove the requirement to submit a photograph with the application form without prejudice to the formal identification of the data subject at a later stage in the selection process; 
• indicate that the sentence "Other elements to be taken into consideration" on the application form is optional and reword it so that it specifies that the information provided should be strictly relevant to the candidate's university and professional career;
• insert a note in both the application form and in the information sheets stating that the data subjects themselves should inform their referees, the persons to be contacted in the event of an emergency and their spouses that their data might be processed in the course of the processing operation.