EU Competition Draws 174,922 Applicants
The 2026 AD5 Generalist Competition far exceeded the 22,644 applications received for the previous round in 2019.
Updated on Nov. 9, 2026 in Job Search
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The European Personnel Selection Office received 174,922 applications for the 2026 AD5 Generalist Competition, nearly eight times the 22,644 applicants drawn by the 2019 round. Italy accounted for 79,343 applications, or 45.4% of the total.
Why it matters
The heavy concentration of applicants from a few member states highlights a geographical imbalance in EU institution staffing. The Commission attributes the imbalance largely to low wages and poor labour market conditions in Italy, Spain, Greece and Portugal.
Applications for the AD5 round rose from 22,644 in 2019 to 174,922, with Italy alone supplying 79,343 (45.4%). Only 15 of the EU's 27 nationalities are currently considered underrepresented, and how many candidates from those states will advance remains unreported.
The players
European Personnel Selection Office (EPSO)
The EU agency that runs recruitment competitions for staff across the European Union institutions, and that received the record number of applications.
European Commission
The executive body of the European Union that introduced the 2025 guidelines requiring interviews and preferences for underrepresented-nationality candidates.
The details
Since 2025, the Commission has required offices to interview at least one candidate from an underrepresented nationality for each post and to give preference to such candidates when qualifications are equal. Earlier Joint Action Plans in 2022 and 2023 addressed geographical imbalances without reserving posts.
Timeline
2019: The previous AD5 competition drew 22,644 applicants.
2022-2023: Joint Action Plans addressed geographical imbalances without reserving jobs.
2025: New recruitment guidelines for underrepresented nationalities took effect.
March 10, 2026: Application deadline for candidates taking the AD5 test.
November 9-13, 2026: AD5 Generalist Competition test window for eligible candidates.
Market Landscape
The surge follows the 2025 guidelines requiring interviews and preferences for underrepresented nationalities, a policy layered on the earlier Joint Action Plans of 2022 and 2023 that addressed imbalances without reserving posts. The sharp concentration of applicants in Italy, Spain, Germany and France keeps the EU civil service competition dominated by a few member states.
Prospective applicants should note the March 10, 2026 deadline and the November 9-13 test window if they plan to compete. Given the scale of the applicant pool, candidates outside the most heavily represented countries may benefit from the new preference rules for underrepresented nationalities.
The takeaway
A record applicant pool does not guarantee a balanced workforce, and the effect of the new interview and preference rules will depend on how many underrepresented-nationality candidates ultimately qualify and are hired.
What happens next
Candidates taking the AD5 test must submit applications by March 10, 2026, and the test window runs November 9-13, 2026.
Further reading
Explore more on Job Search to see how recruitment competitions and applicant pools are shaping hiring trends.
Source note: This article includes information reported by Euronews English.
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