AD5: Nearly 3,000 Finnish applicants for the European Union’s Graduate administrators competition!
On 11 March 2026, details of the nationality breakdown of applicants for the upcoming AD5 competition in the European Union were published. According to this breakdown, 2,702 of the more than 170,000 applicants were Finnish, accounting for 1.5% of the total. While the number of applicants was expected to be high, such a large number of applicants was not predicted. The last time the competition was held, in 2019, there were around 22,500 applicants. This huge number of applicants could cause technical problems with the examination system.
Harri Airaksinen, Director of Tampere Region EU Office, finds the number of Finnish applicants very encouraging, bearing in mind the size of our country. ”There are certainly two reasons behind this. Firstly, we have become aware that we are underrepresented in EU institutions, and this situation is set to continue. This is because many of the administrators who were recruited when Finland joined the EU are now retiring in large numbers. This issue has been highlighted by several parties, including the media and educational institutions, and has led to lively discussions in Finland. Hopefully, this will encourage recent graduates to apply as they plan their careers. Second, a more cynical reason is that the labour market situation for young adults who have recently graduated in Finland is extremely poor. Understandably, in this situation, a career in the EU seems very attractive, especially as this generation has gained excellent international experience for example through internships”, Airaksinen ponders.
In Finland, for example, the government has offered free training to Finnish applicants to increase their numbers and success in the competition. The Permanent Representation of Finland to the EU has also offered support and assistance, particularly to trainees in the city.
Nearly 80,000 Italian applicants make up an exceptionally high percentage of applicants. However, nationality does not affect exam results, as applicants are assessed solely on their performance in the competition. The date of these virtual exams is not yet known, but they are likely to take place in early summer. Out of a total of 170,000 applicants, a maximum of 1,490 will have a spot on the EU’s list of positions up for grabs of whom around 750 are expected to be offered a permanent position.
