Traineeship scheme of the European Commission
Encyclopedia
The traineeship scheme of the European Commission is an internship program providing official in-service training with the European Commission
, aimed at young university
graduate
s. Traineeships, which start in October or March and last five months, are carried out in a Directorate-General or a service of the Commission, in a Commissioner's
Cabinet
, or in some of European Union
's executive bodies and agencies. The program is managed by a dedicated Traineeships Office within DG EAC
that runs a selection procedure to recruit approximately 600 trainees (also called Blue book stagiaries) for each traineeship period.
) consist of the following steps:
Applicants who advance into the Selection phase are listed in a database called (Virtual) Blue Book
from which European Commission officers entitled to having a trainee are free to choose their candidate and agree with them on the details of a traineeship. Approximately 2,500 candidates get into the Blue Book for every traineeship period, out of which around 600 are recruited as trainees.
As an exception, Directorate-General for Translation
applies its own eligibility criteria to what is called translation traineeships, and there is no preselection. The rest of the procedure, however, is the same as for administrative traineeship.
(although unlike them, they are considered "external staff") and are paid a monthly living allowance equal to 25 % of the basic remuneration for an official at grade AD 5/1. Their travel costs to the place of appointment and back home are reimbursed during the last month of the traineeship. It is upon the trainee to find accommodation near the place of appointment. Most trainees are based in Brussels
, a numerous group is situated in Luxembourg
, some are based also in London
(EBRD
, DG ECFIN
), Ireland
(DG SANCO
), and in European Union's delegations in member states and abroad.
. From them, 639 were recruited as trainees. Most trainees come from Italy
(72), and 43 recruits are non-EU citizens.
European Commission
The European Commission is the executive body of the European Union. The body is responsible for proposing legislation, implementing decisions, upholding the Union's treaties and the general day-to-day running of the Union....
, aimed at young university
University
A university is an institution of higher education and research, which grants academic degrees in a variety of subjects. A university is an organisation that provides both undergraduate education and postgraduate education...
graduate
Graduate
Graduate refers to someone who has been the subject of a Graduation. See also: Alumnus.It may also refer to:* Graduate or University Graduate or College graduate someone who has been awarded a degree by a university or college....
s. Traineeships, which start in October or March and last five months, are carried out in a Directorate-General or a service of the Commission, in a Commissioner's
European Commissioner
A European Commissioner is a member of the 27-member European Commission. Each Member within the college holds a specific portfolio and are led by the President of the European Commission...
Cabinet
Cabinet (European Commission)
In the European Commission, a cabinet is the personal office of a European Commissioner. The role of a cabinet is to give political guidance to its Commissioner, while technical preparation is handled by the DGs .-Composition:The Commissioner's cabinets are seen as the real concentration of power...
, or in some of European Union
European Union
The European Union is an economic and political union of 27 independent member states which are located primarily in Europe. The EU traces its origins from the European Coal and Steel Community and the European Economic Community , formed by six countries in 1958...
's executive bodies and agencies. The program is managed by a dedicated Traineeships Office within DG EAC
Directorate-General for Education and Culture (European Commission)
The Directorate-General for Education and Culture is a Directorate-General of the European Commission.The Education and Culture Directorate-General’s mission has three main aspects:* Building a Europe of knowledge...
that runs a selection procedure to recruit approximately 600 trainees (also called Blue book stagiaries) for each traineeship period.
Selection procedure
Administrative traineeships (i.e. all traineeships except those with Directorate-General for TranslationDirectorate-General for Translation (European Commission)
The Directorate-General for Translation , located in Brussels and Luxembourg, provides translation of written text into and out of the European Union's twenty-three official languages. With an annual output of about 1.5 million pages, it is the largest translation service in the world, employing...
) consist of the following steps:
- Application (deadline at end of January/August)
- Eligibility (decision made before end of April/October)
- Preselection (decision made in June/November)
- Selection (decision made in July/January)
- Traineeship (start in October/March)
Applicants who advance into the Selection phase are listed in a database called (Virtual) Blue Book
Blue book
Blue book or Bluebook is a term often referring to an almanac or other compilation of statistics and information. The term dates back to the 15th century, when large blue velvet-covered books were used for record-keeping by the Parliament of the United Kingdom.- Government :* At the European...
from which European Commission officers entitled to having a trainee are free to choose their candidate and agree with them on the details of a traineeship. Approximately 2,500 candidates get into the Blue Book for every traineeship period, out of which around 600 are recruited as trainees.
As an exception, Directorate-General for Translation
Directorate-General for Translation (European Commission)
The Directorate-General for Translation , located in Brussels and Luxembourg, provides translation of written text into and out of the European Union's twenty-three official languages. With an annual output of about 1.5 million pages, it is the largest translation service in the world, employing...
applies its own eligibility criteria to what is called translation traineeships, and there is no preselection. The rest of the procedure, however, is the same as for administrative traineeship.
Working conditions
Each trainee is assigned to an adviser who acts as a mentor. Trainees work full-time, according to same rules as European Civil ServantsEuropean Civil Service
The European Civil Service is the civil service serving the institutions of the European Union, of which the largest employer is the European Commission, the executive branch of the European Union...
(although unlike them, they are considered "external staff") and are paid a monthly living allowance equal to 25 % of the basic remuneration for an official at grade AD 5/1. Their travel costs to the place of appointment and back home are reimbursed during the last month of the traineeship. It is upon the trainee to find accommodation near the place of appointment. Most trainees are based in Brussels
Brussels
Brussels , officially the Brussels Region or Brussels-Capital Region , is the capital of Belgium and the de facto capital of the European Union...
, a numerous group is situated in Luxembourg
Luxembourg
Luxembourg , officially the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg , is a landlocked country in western Europe, bordered by Belgium, France, and Germany. It has two principal regions: the Oesling in the North as part of the Ardennes massif, and the Gutland in the south...
, some are based also in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
(EBRD
European Bank for Reconstruction and Development
Founded in 1991, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development uses the tools of investment to help build market economies and democracies in 30 countries from central Europe to central Asia. Its mission was to support the formerly communist countries in the process of establishing their...
, DG ECFIN
Directorate-General for Economic and Financial Affairs (European Commission)
The Directorate-General for Economic and Financial Affairs is a Directorate-General of the European Commission. The DG ECFIN is located in Brussels, Belgium, and Luxembourg...
), Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
(DG SANCO
Directorate-General for Health and Consumer Protection (European Commission)
The Directorate-General for Health and Consumers , formerly Directorate-General for Health and Consumer Protection and often abbreviated as "SANCO" or "DG-SANCO" for the French words Santé & Consommateurs , is a Directorate-General of the European Commission...
), and in European Union's delegations in member states and abroad.
Statistics
The October 2011 traineeship has seen a total of 10424 applicants, out of which 9349 were nationals of EU member statesMember State of the European Union
A member state of the European Union is a state that is party to treaties of the European Union and has thereby undertaken the privileges and obligations that EU membership entails. Unlike membership of an international organisation, being an EU member state places a country under binding laws in...
. From them, 639 were recruited as trainees. Most trainees come from Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
(72), and 43 recruits are non-EU citizens.
List of notable trainees
Since the start of the program in 1960, many nowadays notable people have participated in the European Commission's traineeship scheme, such as:- Dacian CioloşDacian CioloşDacian Cioloş is a Romanian engineer and politician. In the Călin Popescu-Tăriceanu cabinet, he was Agriculture Minister from October 2007 to December 2008...
, later European Commissioner - Prince Hassan of JordanJordanJordan , officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan , Al-Mamlaka al-Urduniyya al-Hashemiyya) is a kingdom on the East Bank of the River Jordan. The country borders Saudi Arabia to the east and south-east, Iraq to the north-east, Syria to the north and the West Bank and Israel to the west, sharing...
- Lousewies van der LaanLousewies van der LaanLouse Wies Sija Anne Lilly Berthe van der Laan is a former Dutch politician and the leader of the parliamentary group of the social liberal Democrats 66 in the House of Representatives for six months in 2006...
, later DutchNetherlandsThe Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
Member of the European ParliamentMember of the European ParliamentA Member of the European Parliament is a person who has been elected to the European Parliament. The name of MEPs differ in different languages, with terms such as europarliamentarian or eurodeputy being common in Romance language-speaking areas.When the European Parliament was first established,... - Prince Laurent of BelgiumBelgiumBelgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
- Mario MontiMario MontiMario Monti is an Italian economist and academic who is Prime Minister of Italy, as well as Minister of Economy and Finance, since November 2011. Monti served as a European Commissioner from 1995 to 2004, with responsibility for the Internal Market, Services, Customs and Taxation from 1995 to 1999...
, later Prime Minister of ItalyPrime minister of ItalyThe Prime Minister of Italy is the head of government of the Italian Republic... - Viviane RedingViviane RedingViviane Reding is a Luxembourgian politician, currently serving as European Commissioner for Justice, Fundamental Rights and Citizenship. Before starting a professional career as a journalist for the leading newspaper in Luxembourg, the Luxemburger Wort, she obtained a doctorate in human sciences...
, later European Commissioner - Daniel Varela Suanzes-CarpegnaDaniel Varela Suanzes-CarpegnaDaniel Varela Suanzes-Carpegna is a Spanish politician andMember of the European Parliament with the People's Party,part of the European People's Party and is vice-chair of...
, later SpanishSpainSpain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
Member of the European ParliamentMember of the European ParliamentA Member of the European Parliament is a person who has been elected to the European Parliament. The name of MEPs differ in different languages, with terms such as europarliamentarian or eurodeputy being common in Romance language-speaking areas.When the European Parliament was first established,...
External links
- Traineeships Office Home Page
- Rules governing the official traineeships scheme of the European Commission
- Stage Committee (official website)
- Traineeships in the EC (unofficial discussion forum for candidates)
- Traineeship at the European Commission (unofficial blog and discussion forum)