Why are Northern Europeans snubbing EPSO and the EU institutions?

The EU faces a shortage of northern European staffers. Out of roughly 33,000 employees in European Commission administrator posts, only 1,370 are German and 380 are Dutch. Sweden has 264 workers, and both Denmark and Finland have fewer than 200. The numbers will decrease even more as eurocrats retire, and there is no generational renewal in sight. The European Personnel Selection Office (EPSO) attracted 174,727 applicants to its 2026 AD5 generalist competition, but while Italy accounted for almost half of all candidates, Germany, Sweden, Denmark and the Netherlands registered comparatively few applications. Germany, the EU's most populous member state, produced just 11,699 applicants, compared with Italy's 79,343. Sweden registered only 1,804 candidates, while Denmark attracted fewer than 1,000. "Ideally, we would like each member state to be represented proportionally across all EU Institutions. The Commission should consider launching competitions specifically for underrepresented member states", suggested Monika Hohlmeier, an EPP MEP from Germany's Christian Democrats.She also pointed out that, in many sectors, "EU salaries are [actually] lower". For graduates in Germany, Denmark, Sweden and the Netherlands, an EU career is not necessarily more attractive than the opportunities available in their national labour markets. Better opportunities at home According to Eurostat, 90.6% of recent graduates in Germany and 90.1% in the Netherlands were employed in 2025, compared with an EU average of…