Boosting Transport Staff Pay: 20% Raise and Annual CPI Adjustments

Summary

The European Commission proposes that the European Union take a position in the Regional Steering Committee of the Transport Community (TCT) to approve a decision that will change the salary rules for staff of the Transport Community Permanent Secretariat.

Why it matters

• The TCT was signed by the EU and seven South‑East European countries on 1 May 2019.
• The Committee is responsible for running the TCT and for setting rules for the Secretariat.
• Since the salary grid was last updated in June 2019, staff salaries have lost purchasing power.
• A 20 % one‑time increase and a new annual indexation rule are needed to keep salaries competitive and to reduce staff turnover.

What the decision will do

1. Retroactive 20 % salary increase – all staff salaries will rise by 20 % from 1 January 2026.
2. Annual indexation – from 1 January 2027, salaries will be automatically adjusted each year according to the Consumer Price Index (CPI) published by the statistical authority of the Republic of Serbia.
3. Updated salary table (in euros, monthly, min./max.)

• Director: 9 600 – 12 000
• Deputy Director: 7 200 – 8 400
• Head of Division: 6 600 – 7 440
• Experts (Coordinators, Desk Officers, Officers): 5 400 – 6 000
• Assistants: 2 400 – 3 000

Legal basis

• Articles 91 and 100(2) of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU) – cover transport policy.
• Article 218(9) TFEU – allows the EU to adopt a position on behalf of the Union in a body set up by an agreement.
• The decision will be binding on all contracting parties under Article 25(1) of the TCT.

Procedure

• The Regional Steering Committee will adopt the decision in a written procedure scheduled for January 2026.
• The Council of the European Union will adopt a decision that adopts the Committee’s draft decision as the EU’s position.
• The decision will be published in the Official Journal of the European Union and will enter into force on the day after its adoption, applying from 1 January 2026.

This proposal aims to ensure that the Secretariat’s staff receive fair, inflation‑adjusted pay, supporting the effective functioning of the Transport Community.