New Report From the EPO's Staff Representatives in The Hague (LSCTH) Reveals Many Unsolved Issues
One year ago: EPO Issues in The Hague
2022: European School The Hague (ESH) Faces a Crisis and Families of EPO Workers Are Harmed Profoundly
The EPO's Local Staff Committee The Hague (LSCTH) wrote to staff just before the weekend:
LSCTH meets Site Manager VP1 - Report on meeting with VP1 and his team on 6 June 2025
Dear colleagues,
On 6 June 2025, the Local Staff Committee The Hague met with VP1 in his function of Site Manager The Hague together with members of the administration.
During the meeting, the following issues were discussed:
European School The Hague
Key challenges at ESH
Importance of reinstating a School Liaison Officer (SLO)
Capacity constraints and risks to admissions
Feedback from the work floor
Training & time budget
Production pressure, resignation & target setting 2026
Local issues with line management
The Amicale
Reimbursement of the ouderbijdrage
Health matters in The Hague
Here's the full report as simple text:
Staff Committee The Hague
Comité du personnel de La Haye
Personalausschuss Den HaagRijswijk, 19 June 2025
sc25007hpLSCTH meets Site Manager VP1
Dear colleagues,
On 6 June 2025, the Local Staff Committee The Hague met with VP1, in his capacity as Site Manager for The Hague, along with members of the administration. The meeting focused on the following five issues:
1. European School The Hague (page 2)
- Key challenges at ESH
- Importance of reinstating a School Liaison Officer (SLO)
- Capacity constraints and risks to admissions2. Feedback from the work floor (page 5)
- Training & time budget
- Production pressure, resignation & target setting 2026
- Local issues with line management3. The Amicale (page 8)
4. Reimbursement of the ouderbijdrage (page 9)
5. Health matters in The Hague (page 11)
Kind regards,
Your local staff committee The Hague
1. European School The Hague
Key Challenges at ESH
The Local Staff Committee (LSC) opened the discussion by outlining the main challenges currently facing the European School The Hague (ESH). In the Primary school, a persistent structural financial deficit remains one of the most pressing issues. In the Secondary school, the main difficulty continues to be the recruitment and retention of qualified teachers across all language sections.
So far, the key stakeholders involved in the ESH governance — namely the Board of Governors of the European Schools and the Dutch authorities — have shown limited willingness to take effective action. As a result, ESH management is progressively reducing the level of service provided, to the detriment of pupils and their parents, who have very limited means to contest or influence these decisions. The LSC emphasized that both the financial and staffing issues are impacting the quality of education.
Importance of reinstating a School Liaison Officer (SLO)
The LSC underlined the strategic importance of reappointing an SLO in The Hague. While the ESH Advisory Board — which includes representatives from EU institutions and agencies such as the EPO — has limited formal influence, past initiatives by the former SLO demonstrated that it can nonetheless exert some pressure on the host state.
The recent and sudden transfer of the SLO has weakened the EPO’s position at a critical time. While an SLO stationed in The Hague cannot substitute for the absence of a Type I European School1, it remains a strategic position for negotiations with the Dutch authorities and a key point of contact for EPO parents. A planned roundtable with the Dutch authorities, originally scheduled for late May, has again been postponed. This repeated delay illustrates the reluctance of stakeholders to act and contributes to the continuing decline of school conditions.
Capacity constraints and risks to admissions The LSC raised additional concerns regarding the school’s growing capacity constraints, which could jeopardize the admission of future EPO children. Both the Primary and Secondary schools are nearing their respective capacity limits of 900 pupils, while enrolment continues to grow at an annual rate of around 2%.
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1 There are two types of European Schools. The classic European Schools (type I), which are administered and funded by the European Schools' Board of Governors in Brussels. The Accredited European Schools (type II) are national schools that offer the European Schools curriculum.
This trend is expected to continue, particularly in light of the planned doubling of EUROPOL staff2 over the next five years. In response, the ESH management is now modifying key policies: increasing class sizes and introducing the possibility of refusing admission to Category I pupils3. Additional changes are also under consideration, including the reduction or restructuring of mother tongue tuition and the potential closure of another language section.
Because these changes fall outside the scope of the Dossier of Conformity, they could be implemented without formal approval from the Board of Governors.
The potential impact of these changes on EPO staff and their families is considerable. Denial of admission or the closure of a child’s language section would directly affect their access to multilingual European education in The Hague. For these reasons, the LSC reiterated the urgent need for the reinstatement of an SLO in a letter dated 13 March 2025. The LSC also referred to the reply from VP1, dated 10 April 2025, which stated that “the Office is exploring measures to support employees with schooling matters until a more permanent solution is found.” However, no concrete actions have materialised so far.
The LSC asked three questions
Question 1: Is there a recruitment process underway for a new SLO to be stationed in The Hague?
Answer: The Director of People Planning and Talent Management acknowledged the importance of having an SLO based in The Hague. In the interim, the responsibilities of this role are being managed by the Team Manager for Community Relations, in close coordination with senior management. A broader talent planning exercise is currently being prepared for the entire Principal Directorate People, which explicitly includes the SLO position in The Hague. Once this planning exercise is completed, further details regarding the specific vacancy will be shared.
Question 2: Are there measures being considered to preserve the attractiveness of the EPO benefits package for future recruits in The Hague, particularly if the ESH can no longer guarantee admission for their children?
Answer: The Director of People Planning and Talent Management responded by emphasizing that the EPO actively highlights the full range of benefits available to new recruits, including access to the European Schools, as a key advantage of employment. He added that future adjustments may be necessary depending on
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2 Political Guidelines for the next European Commission, page 15, 18 July 2024
3 Category I pupils in European Schools are children whose parents work for a European Union institution or related organisation, such as the EPO
how employee preferences evolve under the New Ways of Working (NWOW) framework — including how much demand remains for places at the European School The Hague.
Question 3: Are there contingency plans to enable children to transfer to another international school in The Hague, at no additional cost to their families, in the event that their language section at the ESH is closed?
Answer: The Director of People Planning and Talent Management stated that such specific measures would be addressed if and when the problem actually materialises.
The Team Manager for Community Relations then acknowledged the importance of the issue and reiterated that the EPO is fully aware of the potential implications. She emphasized the EPO’s consistent position at both the ESH Advisory Board and the Board of Governors, notably its vote against the removal of the automatic entitlement to ESH admission. She underlined that the EPO — together with other institutions — continues to defend access to ESH as a core benefit for newcomers, particularly because of its unique offering of mother tongue tuition.
She also shared recent actions taken, including her participation in the ESH Advisory Board meeting at the end of May and discussions with the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs in preparation for the postponed roundtable with the host state — now tentatively planned for July. In the meantime, she welcomed the recent changes to class size rules, which now align with the rest of the European Schools and provide a degree of flexibility. She confirmed that the EPO, alongside other international organizations, is maintaining pressure on the Dutch authorities, including the municipality and the Ministry of Finance, to ensure continued support for the school. She further reassured that, although the SLO position is currently vacant, the matter is being actively followed up by the Office, including VP1.
VP1 added that ESH remains a recurring topic in discussions with his counterparts from other international organizations in The Hague, such as Europol and Eurojust. He indicated his willingness to arrange a meeting with the Mayor of The Hague and confirmed that he continues to engage with the representative of the Dutch Government, who is fully aware of the EPO’s concerns. He reiterated the EPO’s commitment to ensuring that ESH remains a high-quality and accessible educational option.
2. Feedback from the work floor
Training & time budget
Colleagues report difficulties in keeping up with new features and functionalities of working tools (e.g. Ansera) due to limited time availability. The LSC therefore requested that staff be allocated sufficient dedicated time budget to allow proper training and mastery of the tools.
VP1 and the Director of People Engagement and Development acknowledged the concern. The allocation of time budget is not decided by the training team directly. The Office avoids a “one-size-fits-all” model and aims to provide customized training that meets each examiner’s actual needs. The request for increased training time budgets will be discussed, also with the COO and the Team Manager Community Relations.
The LSC then addressed the integration of AI tools in DG1: there is an active “AI community” within the EPO which is testing AI tools and developing prompts for S&E work. It seems quite clear (also from the COO’s recent presentations to DG15) that this will be the new way of working. AI-based workflows represent a fundamental shift in working methods. The LSC called for “human-centric” change management and appropriate training budget for all to master the use of these new tools and understand their limitations.
The Director of People Engagement and Development confirmed that the Office recognizes AI as a strategic topic for the entire organization. AI training is currently in preparation and will be rolled out in the second half of 2025. In May, training sessions on the new Legal Interactive Platform were offered. In June, further sessions will focus on prompting techniques, including experience sharing from advanced users on how to interact effectively with AI tools. The message on time budget was noted and would be taken into consideration.
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5 See “Inside DG1: Technology Communities”, Presentation and Q&A
Production pressure, resignation & target setting 2026
The LSC expressed concern over a sharp increase in individual production targets for 2025, often in the double-digits, without adequate guidance or support to help staff meet these expectations. The LSC reported feedback of work-related stress, resignation6 and diminished confidence in product quality, also among “high performers”. COHSEC7 data shows a rise in stress-related diagnosis, prompting questions of whether the Office is doing enough to meet its duty of care towards DG1 staff.
VP1, the Director of People Engagement and Development, and the Director of People Services and Well-Being invited the LSC to report individual cases via the HR Business Partners (HRBPs), where support could be offered on a case-by- case basis. Difficulties have been resolved in the past through such cooperation. No systemic issue is currently visible from a general management perspective. Such concerns should be raised through the appropriate health-related forums (COHSEC, LOHSEC), as well as via the Central Staff Committee, this being an office-wide topic.
The LSC explained that work-related stress is closely and causally linked to production pressure and asked what concrete steps management is taking to address the problem. Even though production pressure is a central topic, its consequences are experienced locally, including burnout, team overload, and the knock-on effects when sick colleagues’ work is redistributed.
The LSC pointed to the initial 2026 Budgetary Orientations8, which foresee a 2.7% increase in absolute production and a 60% replacement rate. This is already more than the 2.1% increase tabled by the financial study. Every year, at the time of cascading down target increases, there are wide discrepancies between teams and between individuals. Colleagues performing the work are not consulted, and factors such as field-specific complexity, team experience, and age profile seem to be disregarded. The LSC called for genuine consultation with non- managerial staff during the target setting exercise for 2026.
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6 i.e. disengagement: staff continue working but withdraw from their commitment to quality due to unsustainable workloads.
7 See COHSEC/DOC 06/2025, p.17 shows that “Tiredness / Stress related symptoms / Burn out” is the number 1 type of diagnoses reported to OHS, and COHSEC/DOC 05/2025, p.3 shows that “[T]otal average sickness absences increased from 12.06 to 12.87 days per head” (April 2024-March 2025).
8 CA/25/25, p.4
VP1 noted that planning for 2026 is already underway and that the objective- setting process would start earlier, so staff can be informed and involved ahead of finalization. VP1 and the COO will discuss planning and the cascading from directors to team managers and staff. The financial study forms the basis for the expectations of the Administrative Council. There will be targeted reinforcement for teams with high needs, potentially reaching up to 130–140%. This should help balance quality and timeliness, depending on workload profiles across technical areas.
Local issues with line management
One year ago9, the issue of a toxic work environment was addressed during the meeting of the LSCTH with VP1. At that time, the then Director of People Engagement and Partnership indicated that a shift was underway towards placing greater emphasis on people-related matters. Members of the LSC have since been in contact with HRBPs and managers about line management issues and would like to reiterate the need to place more emphasis in people-related matters and humane management. Because the LSC is still being regularly approached by colleagues who express distress over micromanagement and a perceived lack of respect for their dignity and professional autonomy.
VP1 acknowledged the concern and stated that he would remind the management team directly of the importance of fostering a respectful and supportive work environment and ensuring that people-related matters remain a central consideration in managerial practices.
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9 See “LSCTH meets Site Manager VP1”, section 3.
3. The Amicale
The LSC referred to the Amicale Annual General Meeting held in January and requested greater transparency about upcoming changes to the Amicale’s governance and operation. The LSC proposed that information on the reform be shared with staff on the intranet, given the Amicale’s value to many colleagues.
The Senior Advisor People acknowledged the strong emotional and cultural significance of the Amicale and confirmed that the reform of the Amicale governance is currently part of a strategic Office-wide initiative, linked to the Strategic Plan 2028. The reform aims to “modernize” the Amicale’s legal and governance framework, particularly to ensure alignment with data protection laws, financial regulations, and procurement rules. The project is led by Principal Directorate People, in coordination with all relevant internal services and in close collaboration with Amicale committee representatives. A working group began activities in 2024 and included examining taxation aspects. The objective is to complete the legal framework in 2025 and implement it in 2026. Communications to staff will be staged, starting with Amicale committee members and club chairs, and eventually via staff-wide communication once the process matures.
The LSC raised a second issue: the restriction on Amicale use of the roof terrace in the New Main building. The area was reportedly closed to Amicale activities after some noisy sports events took place, yet during the Campus Days, “loud” events were organized there. The LSC requested a review of the policy, at least for quiet activities like yoga and mindfulness, especially considering upcoming construction works of the Hinge building.
VP1 clarified that colleagues had raised complaints and that indeed exceptions had been made for the Campus Days. Some organizers had attempted to block access to the sensory garden. All parts of the roof terrace should remain open to all, especially during lunch breaks. However, VP1 expressed openness to testing quieter activities, provided the criteria he outlined are respected, and invited the Amicale to discuss directly with him, as well as with the Director of Building Management and Senior Advisor General Administration10.
The LSC raised a final concern regarding the well-being of Amicale HR assistants in both Munich and The Hague and expressed appreciation for their work. According to the Team Manager Community Relations, an assistant based in The Hague has been appointed to handle the Munich Amicale work remotely.
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10 In the meantime, we have been informed that the policy on the use of the roof garden has indeed been reviewed.
4. Reimbursement of the ouderbijdrage
The LSC reiterated its strong concerns about the change, since January 2024, in the reimbursement practice of the ouderbijdrage in the Netherlands. It appears to be based on a new internal interpretation of existing rules under Article 71 rather than from the general education reform. The mid-year implementation created inequities: some parents received reimbursement, others did not.
The LSC presented its analysis, highlighting that:
• The ouderbijdrage is considered voluntary in legal terms, but is de facto mandatory in the Dutch school system. It is integral to the functioning of the entire public school system, not just a few institutions.
• The fee effectively functions as tuition and should be treated as such under reimbursement rules.
• The change disproportionately affects colleagues in The Hague and undermines fairness and staff confidence.
• Staff perception is overwhelmingly negative, both among Dutch nationals and expatriates.
The LSC urged management to reconsider the interpretation, which we believe to be both unfair and potentially illegal. VP1 was encouraged, in his capacity of site manager, to take an active role in identifying a solution to this issue, which disproportionately and significantly impacts staff in The Hague. To this effect, the LSC called for a dedicated meeting on the topic.
The Director of Pension and Remuneration responded by clarifying that the issue is not a local one, as the reimbursement rules are applied uniformly across all duty stations. He reiterated that the ouderbijdrage lacks a compulsory character and therefore cannot be reimbursed under the existing Service Regulations. The Dutch law clearly defines such contributions as voluntary, and based on this, the Office considers its current position legally sound. He acknowledged that the staff may have a different interpretation of legality.
The LSC also raised a follow-up question on the German School in The Hague, which had been discussed in the previous meeting11. Reference was also made to new Appeals Committee decisions12 originating from The Hague concerning
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11 LSCTH meets Site Manager VP1, LSCTH, 12.12.2024
12See “Positive ApC opinions on the Education and Childcare reform”, SUEPO TH, 21.05.2025
exam fees and learning trips that were still not reimbursed, despite favourable recommendations.
The former School Liaison Officer confirmed that there had been a change in Dutch law, which had influenced the Office’s position regarding the ouderbijdrage. She emphasized that this was not an arbitrary change by the EPO but a response to national legal developments. On the topic of school trips, she mentioned that this was an issue under general-level discussion. Regarding the German School, she stated that several appeals are ongoing, and reiterated the Office's view that these cases must run their legal course. She added that the outcome could have broader implications, affecting not only the German School but potentially other schools as well.
In conclusion, the LSC challenged the Office’s justification based on Dutch law, pointing out that the ouderbijdrage has always been classified as voluntary, and that no substantive legal change had occurred to justify any change in practice and even less such a significant policy shift. The LSC argued that it is the long- standing practice of the Office to reimburse this fee in full knowledge of its voluntary legal status, and thus could not credibly use a narrow legal reinterpretation to justify cutting entitlements now. Furthermore, the Office’s logic appeared inconsistent: similar changes in practice occurred in Munich, although German law had not changed.
5. Health matters in The Hague
Access to quality health care in The Hague continues to be a key concern for staff. While the cost of medical services in the Netherlands is generally lower than at other sites, colleagues are increasingly confronted with structural barriers when trying to access appropriate care.
A one-year interim solution involving an external doctor has been implemented in The Hague carrying the risk of another change of health experts soon, which would be detrimental to the service level. The LSC stressed that effective health support requires timely, meaningful, and personal assistance by experienced health experts who know the organization well. The fact that a health expert is contactable by phone during working hours should not be the only criteria for sufficient service level.
The difficulties colleagues face in accessing healthcare in the Dutch system were previously mitigated through internal support structures. These included assistance with finding general practitioners, help in navigating complex medical cases, and help with requests for cures — something which remains more straightforward in Germany than in the Netherlands. The service level of OHS in The Hague should be high on the radar of VP1 in his capacity as site manager.
The following issues were raised:
• Loss of internal support: The LSC reiterated13 the importance of reinstating internal medical staff who know the local context and are familiar with the needs of the EPO community.
• Inconsistent quality of external services: Feedback received from colleagues regarding the new external provider has been mixed. When considering this alongside broader health statistics, it points to the fact the current situation might not meet staff needs.
• Long-term strategy and oversight: The current arrangement is a short- term patch, not a solution. The LSC called for clarification on what the plan will be beyond this one-year period, and how continuity of care will be ensured.
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13 See Open letter to VP1, LSCTH, 7.09.2023;
LSCTH meets Site Manager VP1, section 1, LSCTH, 20.06.2024;
LSCTH meets Site Manager VP1, section 7, LSCTH, 12.12.2024;
Report on the meeting of the LOHSEC The Hague, LSCTH, 4.04.2025
• Staff involvement in tender procedure: With a new tender for health services now underway, the LSC requested the involvement of local staff representatives (for example from the LOHSEC or COHSEC) in the tender process as observers, as was done for the tender for our health insurance administrator (Cigna). Early staff input would help align service delivery with actual needs.The Director of People Services and Well-Being acknowledged the concerns and confirmed that health and well-being are strategic priorities, as also reflected in the recent Campus Days. A formal tendering procedure for medical services is ongoing, and efforts are being made to assess and improve the staffing and contractual arrangements across all sites. Management welcomes feedback from staff to guide improvements in future service delivery.
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