Minister Byrne welcomes record Irish interest in EU jobs competition

Minister of State for European Affairs and Defence, Thomas Byrne TD, today (11 March) welcomed the strong response from Irish citizens to an EU-wide competition to recruit the next generation of EU officials, following the closure of applications yesterday, 10 March 2026.

The AD5 competition, the first of its kind since 2019 and the largest EU recruitment

competition in seven years, will fill approximately 1,500 permanent posts across the European Commission and other EU institutions.

Preliminary figures show over 1,700 Irish citizens submitted applications, placing Ireland 10th out of 27 Member States on a per capita basis. This is a significant and encouraging result for a country of Ireland’s size and compares very favourably with other EU Member States which, like Ireland, have faced challenges in growing their representation in the EU civil service.

Minister Byrne said: “I want to congratulate every Irish person who has put their name forward for this major EU jobs competition. It is very welcome to see Ireland rank as 10th in the EU, on a per capita basis when it comes to application numbers. In May 2022, I launched the government’s ‘A Career for EU’ strategy, with the aim of increasing Irish representation in the EU’s institutions and agencies. I am very glad that Irish people have heard the message that the EU institutions and agencies need talented, ambitious professionals, and that they have responded in such strong numbers.

“I am especially pleased that Ireland has outperformed a number of larger EU Member States that, like us, have historically faced challenges in competition participation. This competition is an opportunity for Ireland to make real progress on our representation in the EU institutions, and today’s figures give me real confidence as we move towards the testing phase.”

Ireland’s 10th place per capita ranking is particularly notable given the scale of competition from larger Member States. Italy, Spain, France and Greece, all of which have significantly larger populations, ranked ahead of Ireland in absolute terms, as expected.

When participation is measured against population size, Ireland has punched well above its weight, outranking countries such as Sweden, Denmark and the Netherlands — all of which, like Ireland, have been identified as under-represented in the EU civil service and are working to increase their nationals’ participation in EU recruitment processes.

The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade has invested significantly in supports for Irish candidates ahead of the assessment phase, which is expected to take place later this year. These supports include tailored practice test packages and workshops for Irish candidates. All candidates who reach the laureate list will be offered interview preparation support.

Minister Byrne commented: “To every Irish person preparing to sit these tests under the AD5 competition, I want you to know that the Irish government is behind you. The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade has put in place a comprehensive suite of supports to help you prepare, and we want to see as many Irish candidates as possible succeed. These are extremely competitive assessments, but Irish candidates have the skills, the work ethic and the intellectual ability to do very well. Good luck to you all.”

For more information on how to apply for EU job opportunities, and to avail of supports for Irish candidates, visit Ireland.ie/EUJobs.