Brussels should scrap plans to hire 2,500 EU civil servants, 9 countries say

BRUSSELS — The European Commission should scrap plans to add some 2,500 staff and increase administrative spending at a time when capitals are being asked to tighten their belts, according to ministers from nine EU countries.

In a letter addressed to Budget Commissioner Piotr Serafin and led by Austria, the ministers commend plans by the EU executive to streamline the bloc’s next long-term budget, known as the Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF).

But they criticize the Commission’s request for increased funding to hire new staff and expand its administrative headroom. The total funds the Commission has requested to hire an additional 2,500 civil servants, spread over the lifespan of the MFF (2028-2034), amount to an estimated €1.4 billion, the signatories told POLITICO.

“We expect the Commission to present ambitious, quantified proposals as a direct input for ongoing negotiations on the next MFF, including on an EU administrative system that reflects the challenges of our times,” reads the letter, which was signed by ministers from Austria, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Germany, Estonia, Latvia, Sweden, Finland and the Netherlands.

“In this context, the proposed increase [from the Commission] of 2,500 posts as well as the overall significant increase of heading 4 (administration) runs counter to the stated objectives of efficiency, restraint and reform, and risks undermining the credibility of the broader MFF proposal.” Heading 4 of the 2028-2034 MFF refers to administrative costs.

EU countries are in the midst of negotiating their next long-term budget following an initial proposal from the Commission presented in July 2025. The complex process lasts for years and involves all three key EU institutions: the Commission, the Council and the Parliament. At the same time, the Commission is carrying out a large-scale review that aims to streamline its own processes.

The signatories say the EU executive should apply the same principles it’s demanding of member countries to itself.

“The pressure on national governments to increase the efficiency of public expenditure is increasing,” the letter reads. “The Member States, often at the request of the Commission, have responded with difficult reforms to increase efficiency, reduce staffing levels and generate savings.”

The letter goes on to advise the Commission to “significantly raise its level of ambition in this exercise.”

“The European Commission’s credibility in asking Member States for budgetary discipline very much depends on adhering to its own principles. If national administration all across Europe have to cut down on public expenses, we expect the same rigid rule to apply for the European Commission,” Austrian Minister for Europe, Integration and Family Claudia Bauer said in written remarks.

“At a time when national governments are under immense fiscal pressure, a substantial increase in EU administrative posts risks sending the wrong message to citizens,” she added.

The Commission did not immediately respond to POLITICO’s request for comment.