Included in Luxembourg's many European institutions, the Executive Agency for Consumers, Health, Agriculture and Food (Chafea) works under the European Commission to carry out European programmes in these fields.
The agency was created in 2003 to provide the health axis with executive power, and was located in Luxembourg, to compensate for transfers of posts to Brussels.
The Union Syndicale Luxembourg (USL) has expressed concerns via press release about the agency's relocation and 80 employees in Brussels.
Due to the new multi-annual financial framework (2021-2027), six agencies are planned to be grouped together in the Belgian capital to improve efficiency.
According to Miguel Vicente Nuñez, ULS president, the Commission may offer posts in Brussels or find local solutions for the 80 concerned employees.
However, this could raise issues such as job stability, the application of the civil service statutes, their family situation, spouses' jobs and school places.
Nuñez said a social plan would need to be drawn up and presented to staff representatives for negotiation prior to any final decisions on relocation.
More generally, it is the sustainability of the Commission's services in Luxembourg that has concerned the union. The agreement concluded in 2015 between the European Commission and the Luxembourg government provides for the strengthening of legal, financial and digital divisions in the Grand Duchy. However, the legal and digital sectors are struggling to recruit and achieve objectives in terms of staff. The attractiveness of Luxembourg and the difference in purchasing power compared to Brussels are regularly brought up by the unions of civil servants.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said they had contacted the European Commissioner for Budget and Administration, Johannes Hahn, on several occasions to express the government's concern over the potential decision to close Chafea in Luxembourg, as well as the consequences to the staff concerned.
The European Commission is expected to make a decision on 28 April.
