The European Union (EU) is shifting its emphasis from knowledge to competency-based assessment when recruiting officials.

In a move to streamline procedures, the EU is removing its general knowledge quiz from its initial selection tests in favour of annual competitions for administrators, assistants and linguists.

The procedure will now have just two stages - computer-based pre-selection testing in individual EU countries and an assessment stage in Brussels, taking five to nine months, rather than up to two years as is the case under the previous system.

The EU says the new process will allow candidates to plan their applications more effectively and help strategic human resource planning by the EU institutions.

Maroš Šefcovic, commission vice-president for inter-institutional relations and administration, says: “In an increasingly competitive jobs market, the European institutions have to be able to attract a diverse range of top quality applicants.

“It’s also important that we hang on to these people, which we will only do if they have the prospect of finding an attractive post without undue delay. The new system is based on best practice across the public sector. It will provide the EU institutions with the right people at the right time, while remaining true to the principles of fair and open competition.”