Italian applicants made up 45.4% of the 174,727 applications submitted for the European Union’s 2026 EPSO AD5 competition, according to final figures published by the EU’s recruitment office. The 79,343 applications from Italy exceeded the combined total from Spain, Germany and France, which was 36,427.
The figures describe the applicant pool, not the nationalities of candidates who will pass or be recruited. EPSO has not yet established the competition’s final geographical distribution.
Olivier Salles, director of the European Personnel Selection Office, told Euronews that previous competitions suggested the distribution of successful candidates broadly followed the distribution of applicants. He cautioned that it was too early to predict the outcome of the 2026 competition.
Testing continues in two stages
The unusually large applicant pool is competing for entry-level administrator roles through a process split across two stages. EPSO scheduled the first tests for the week of November 9 to 13, 2026, with the remaining assessments planned for 2027.
The final application count, published by EPSO on June 25, 2026, was lower than the provisional totals announced in March. The updated figures put Italy well ahead of other countries: Spain had 13,789 applications, Germany 11,699 and France 10,939.
The national breakdown could affect the geographical mix of candidates available to EU institutions, but applications alone cannot show whether that will happen. The eventual balance will depend on how candidates perform and progress through the selection process.
Nicole French