To grant the children of the staff of the permanent representations of the applicant States a status equivalent to category I status on a transitional basis, for administration purposes and for their enrolment in existing language sections in the European Schools.
The Board agreed after much discussion that this could only be accepted if it did not entail creating new groups. With that clarification this was accepetd, France and Denmark abstaining and Greece expressing a reservation. This decision is to be applied from September 2002.
Document 1311-D-2005-en-2: [2]
For a transitional period lasting until January 2007, the Directors of the European Schools may, by way of an exception, enrol in Category I the children of auxiliary or temporary staff working for the European Communities, on condition that the competent Institution or Body provides them with a certificate testifying to the fact that the contract of employment of the member of staff concerned, whose duration may only be for a period of less than one year, corresponds to a post directly linked with the EU enlargement procedure and which, moreover, may be renewed.
Category II
Pupils covered by individual agreements or decisions, each entailing specific rights and obligations for the pupils concerned.
Category III
The order in which the following pupils are listed is the order of priority for admission purposes:
(a) children of national officials seconded to diplomatic representations, to the NATO Representation and to the Consulates of the Member States (with the exception of staff recruited locally);
(b) Children of members of the diplomatic service returning to their home country in which a European School is situated and where they can only be integrated into the national education system in place with great difficulty on account of the latter’s special features; [3]
(c) children of national officials of the Permanent Representations of non-member States to the European Communities (with the exception of staff recruited locally);
(d) children of staff with diplomatic status, in post in Brussels or in Luxembourg, belonging to non-member countries which signed the Lomé Convention;
(e) other officials posted abroad, in all the Schools;
(f) children of others: priority will be given to pupils whose mother tongue or language of previous education is not a language of tuition in the national education system. [4]
Admission of children of assistants of Members of the European Parliament [5]
1. Admission of the children of accredited parliamentary assistants
The Board of Governors confirmed that accredited parliamentary assistants will come under Category I for purposes of access to the European Schools, in accordance with the conditions laid down in Chapter XII-2.1 of the Digest of Decisions of the Board of Governors, on entry into force of the Council Regulation including them in Article 1 of the Conditions of Employment for Other Servants of the European Communities, starting in July 2009.
Consequently, accredited assistants will be able, on the basis of this new Regulation, to apply for their children’s enrolment for the 2009-2010 school year beginning in September 2009.
2. Admission of the children of local assistants of Members of the European Parliament
The Board of Governors decided that the children of local assistants of Members of the European Parliament will be classified in Category III, with priority, for purposes of admission to the European Schools.
Admission Conditions for the children of WEU Staff [6]
These pupils could not in future be admitted in Category I. It was agreed that pupils already enrolled, however recently, should remain in Category I. The WEU might seek to sign a Category II special contract.
Admission Conditions for the children of civilian staff of NATO
The Board of Governors decided in April 1987 that the children of the civilian staff of NATO would be given priority for admission to the European Schools, although they would not be regarded as pupils entitled to automatic admission. This priority would entail the payment of specific school fees.
In October 1992, the Board of Governors decided that specific school fees would continue to be paid for the children of the civilian staff of NATO in Brussels and Luxembourg. The current rate is specified in Chapter XXIV.
[1] Decisions of the Board of Governors, 6-7 November 2001, page 4
[2] Decisions of the Board of Governors, 31 January & 1 February 2006, page 4
[3] Decisions of the Board of Governors, 15-16 October 1996, page 5
[4] Decisions of the Board of Governors, 25-27 April 2005, page 6
[5] Written Procedure 2009/02: Change of Status of Parliamentary Assistants – document 2009-D-171-en-1
[6] Decisions of the Board of Governors, 28-29 April 1998, page 24
