115It is settled case-law that, in a recruitment procedure, which is a complex administrative operation comprising a series of decisions, a candidate for a competition may, in an action brought against an earlier step taken in that process, challenge the legality of earlier steps that are closely linked to it (see judgment of 11 August 1995, Commission v Noonan, C‑448/93 P, EU:C:1995:264, paragraph 17 and the case-law cited), and, in particular, challenge the legality of the competition notice pursuant to which the step in question was taken (see, to that effect, judgments of 16 September 1993, Noonan v Commission, T‑60/92, EU:T:1993:74, paragraph 23, and of 5 December 2012, BA v Commission, F‑29/11, EU:F:2012:172, paragraph 39).