A 0.8% chance of becoming a Eurocrat

It seems hard to believe, but these past few weeks in Brussels, there's almost more talk about civil service exams than the chaos caused by the war in Iran. This is the first general call for graduates who want to work in European institutions since 2019. As expected, more than 170,000 people have applied. It's literally impossible to live in Brussels, be under 40, and not know someone who has applied.

There are four interesting facts about this call. The first is that almost half of the applicants are Italian. The second: if we add Spain (7.89%), Greece (5.8%), and Portugal (2.9%), the Southern European bloc accounts for over 60%. The third fact is that only 1,490 people will be selected to be part of a waiting list. Finally, this means there's a statistical probability of 0.85% of getting a position. In other words: only one in every 117 people will make it onto the list.

All of this paints a stark picture of an opportunity gap. Italy represents 13% of the EU population, but has submitted more than 45% of the candidates. In contrast, Germany, which represents 18% of the population, has submitted only 6.7%.

One point to note: many applications are from people already working on temporary or interim contracts within the institutions. Yes, in Brussels, too, temporary contracts and outsourcing are overused. And yes, Southern Europe is overrepresented in the institutions.

The disproportionate number of applicants in these competitive exams is yet another symptom of the deep structural inequality in Europe. The tragedy is not that thousands of Italian graduates want to work in European institutions, but that they see a competition with a 0.85% chance of success as one of the few safe paths to their life goals. While the north retains its talent with stronger labor markets, the south exports its intellectual elites en masse.

The salary for the lucky few exceeds €6,000 gross. For a Spanish or Italian graduate with a degree, two master's degrees, and fluency in three languages, who on average doesn't leave home until age 30 and spends almost half their salary on rent, it's a complete life change. For a German, who moves out at 24 and spends 28% on rent, it's an interesting option but not such a dramatic change.

Inequality of opportunity

Second point: The process is profoundly unequal from a class perspective as well. Applying for EU positions requires time and resources to decipher an opaque syllabus, lacking clear official guidelines, which often favors those who can afford specialized preparation and have the time to dedicate to it, or who know someone who works.

Ironically, on the very day the application period closed, the European Parliament was debating the housing crisis. A coincidence of timing that demonstrates that European politics still moves at a different pace than the bills that are suffocating citizens. Because the reality is that the vast majority of the population, graduates or not, doesn't have time to waste playing this lottery. They're content just to make ends meet. We've already discussed the importance of strengthening the European project, but this strength also depends on internal cohesion: from north to south and from east to west, but also from the bottom up. Finding stable employment and decent working conditions cannot be just a matter for the northern half of the Union. This was also part of the European project.