ABSTRACT
Worried by the revision of the staff regulations, the trade unions representing the staff of the institutions of the European Union (EU) at the end of 2011 adopted ‘Stop dismantling the EU staff !’ as their slogan. Sweeping aside the argument by stressing its provocative nature could be a fi rst reaction. Even if member-state pressure for revising the regulations is high, no one really believes the EU staff will disappear in the short term. However, the slogan’s existence and success in mobilizing numerous people should prevent too-rapid judgements, especially in the context of a huge crisis and previous important administrative changes.
