Image: Stephen Shepherd
As an International Organisation, the conditions of employment of ECMWF staff members are governed by the organisation’s Staff Regulations rather than by national law. ECMWF runs an independent legal review tribunal because ECMWF staff members have no access to national courts in respect of employment-related disputes. This tribunal is called the Appeals Board and has the authority to settle any dispute arising from the Staff Regulations or staff contracts. It operates under Article 39 and Annex VII of the ECMWF Staff Regulations. The Appeals Board has jurisdiction with regard to appeals brought by staff members and by former staff members or by their heirs and assigns against a decision of the Director-General.
In most cases, appeals are only admissible if the Centre’s internal dispute resolution procedures have been exhausted by the staff member.
The Appeals Board is composed of six members who are appointed every three years by the ECMWF Council. They convene whenever necessary. The Appeals Board elects a Chair and a Vice-Chair from its midst. The Appeals Board is supported by the Appeals Board’s Secretary, appointed from the organisation’s staff, who carries out the duties of a registrar. In the exercise of these duties, the Secretary is subject only to the authority of the Board.
Once an appeal has been lodged, it is the responsibility of the Chair of the Appeals Board to promptly establish a panel by choosing two or four additional members of the Appeals Board by rotation and subject to availability. This panel will judge the case and render a decision. The decisions of the Appeals Board are legally binding on all Parties and cannot be appealed.
The Judges
The Members of the Appeals Board are all experienced Judges qualified in international civil service law. The current Members are:
- Mr Michael Groepper (Chair) - mandate until 30.06.2026
- Dr Kieran Bradley (Vice-Chair) - mandate until 30.06.2027
- Sir Michael Wood - mandate until 30.06.2026
- Prof. Spyridon Flogaitis - mandate until 30.06.2027
- Dr Eva-Maria Gröniger-Voss - mandate until 30.06.2027
- Prof. Hélène Ruiz Fabri - mandate until 30.06.2026
Contact
Appeals can be lodged by email to the Appeals Board. For confidentiality purposes, please use this address only. Staff, current and former, can submit documents to the Secretary of the Appeals Board by email, including a description of the content of their documents, and what action you expect the Secretary to take.
Appeals can be lodged by registered mail sent to ECMWF, The Secretary of the Appeals Board, Shinfield Park, Reading RG2 9AX, UK.
Appeals can be lodged in person with the Secretary of the Appeals Board in Office 2006, Shinfield Park, Reading.