European Commission representative Mr Serafin has ruled out cancelling the open competition EPSO/AD/427/26, despite over 14,000 complaints and technical problems that prevented some candidates from registering. In a written answer on 23 July 2026 to a parliamentary question from Christine Anderson (ESN), Serafin stated that the Director of EPSO, as the Appointing Authority, is considering several options for managing a competition with over 175,000 candidates, but cancellation is not under consideration.
The answer addresses three specific concerns raised by Anderson. First, regarding complaints, Serafin confirmed that EPSO has received more than 14,000 tickets, including 2,015 admissible complaints linked to website unavailability on 9 and 10 March 2026, prior to the application deadline. EPSO analysed all individual complaints and replied on a case-by-case basis; complaints submitted after the deadline were considered inadmissible. Second, on the publication of candidate nationality data while the application period was still open, Serafin argued that the breakdown by nationality does not contain personal data and is not confidential. Its publication, he said, does not impact the competition rollout nor provide any advantage or disadvantage. Third, Serafin firmly stated that cancellation is not under consideration, despite Anderson's suggestion to replace the external service provider and relaunch the process.
The answer contains no concrete proposals for new measures or deadlines, instead defending EPSO's handling of the competition. The policy orientation is one of maintaining the current process and rejecting calls for a restart. No further institutional follow-up was announced, though the Director of EPSO is said to be considering options for managing the large candidate pool.