Irish graduates working for the EU earn a net salary of more than €5,000 per month, according to Ireland’s Europe Minister.

The Irish government wants more people to go and work for European Union institutions as part of a “focus on ensuring Ireland maintains its strong influence in the EU.”

EU civil servants are supposed to leave their nationality at the door and represent the EU as a whole. This is stipulated in article 11 of the EU’s staff regulations:

“An official shall carry out his duties and conduct himself solely with the interests of the Union in mind. He shall neither seek nor take instructions from any government, authority, organisation or person outside his institution. He shall carry out the duties assigned to him objectively, impartially and in keeping with his duty of loyalty to the Union.”

Nonetheless the government believes having Irish nationals in Brussels, Luxembourg and elsewhere gives Ireland extra gravitas.

The European Commission has calculated that 1.6 per cent of its staff should be of Irish nationality to be a fair proportion compared to the other 26 member states.

And the latest stat suggest that Ireland is currently on track. As of July of this year, there were 279 Irish nationals working for the European Commission out of more than 17,000.

But according to the government, a large number of those are expected to retire soon.

“We are proud of the contributions that Irish men and women have made to the EU over our now 50 plus years of membership. However, many senior Irish officials are set to retire in the coming years. So, we want to continue introducing new, talented Irish people to careers in the EU who will be our next generation of leaders in Europe”, says Europe Minister, Jennifer Carroll MacNeill.

“Working for the EU institutions can be one of the most satisfying and rewarding careers in Europe. And the pay is amazing.  A newly recruited Irish graduate could expect a starting net salary of just over €5,100 per month. 

The EU says the starting salary for temporary staff is between €2,000 and €2,500 and between €3,000 and €5,000 for permanent staff, depending on grade and function.

“Salaries increase based on merit and seniority as you progress in your career.”