About the EPP Group

The Group of the European People's Party (EPP Group) is the largest political group in the European Parliament. It brings together centre and centre-right pro-European political forces from the Member States of the EU, coming together to advance the goal of a more competitive and democratic Europe, closer to its citizens, and a social market economy. Its multinational Secretariat provides political, administrative and technical support to its MEPs.

What we offer?

The EPP Group’s traineeship programme offers an excellent opportunity to university graduates and undergraduate students to gain experience and practical knowledge of working in an international, multilingual and multi-cultural environment of the EPP Group and the European Parliament.

We offer the following types of traineeships in our Secretariat in Brussels (Belgium):

Option 1) 5 months full-time (40hrs/week) paid traineeship for graduates

Option 2) maximum 3 months full-time (40hrs/week) unpaid traineeship for undergraduates

Compensation and Benefits

• monthly allowance of 1.500 EUR to cover living costs in Brussels for graduates;
• reimbursement of mission costs (travel and accommodation) to attend one plenary session of the European Parliament in Strasbourg;
• sickness and accident insurance.

When?

Approximate timetable

Autumn Traineeship starting in September:

Deadline for the application - 15 May, 12:00 CET.

What will you do?

You will be assigned to one of the Directorates and actively contribute to its daily political and administrative work. One of our experienced supervisors will follow your work and guide you in all assigned tasks and projects during your traineeship. The nature of your duties will depend on the specific Directorate to which you will be assigned.

Who can apply?

Admission Requirements

Option 1) Paid Traineeship

The candidates who:

• are a national of a Member State of the EU or of an associated or candidate country;
• have a very good knowledge (at least CEFR B2 level) of two official EU languages, one of which should be English, French or German (EU citizens) OR have a very good knowledge of English language (non-EU citizens);
• have not been granted a paid traineeship in the EU Institutions/MEP Office or not have already been in gainful employment after the completion of their studies;
• have a university degree or have completed three years of study (at least six semesters) at a university or an equivalent institute of higher education.

Option 2) Unpaid Traineeship

The candidates who:

• are a national of a Member State of the EU or of an associated or candidate country;
• have a very good knowledge (at least CEFR B2 level) of two official EU languages, one of which should be English, French or German (EU citizens) OR have a very good knowledge of English language (non-EU citizens);
• have not been granted a paid traineeship in the EU Institutions/MEP Office or not have already been in gainful employment after the completion of their studies;
• if not having a university degree, or not having completed three years of study (at least six semesters) at a university or an equivalent institute of higher education, candidates must provide an attestation from the university stating that a traineeship is required in the framework of the studies and its required length.

How to apply?

Admission Documents

All candidates MUST:

Option 1) Paid Traineeship

• complete the online application form available on the EPP Group’s Traineeships page in English;
• upload a Europass CV in English;
• upload a one page pdf document in English answering to the following questions:

  (Your answers must be in Times New Roman font, size 12 and contain maximum 250 words per question);

  1. Why have you chosen this traineeship in the EPP Group?
  2. Why do you apply to the specific Directorate/Unit?
• upload following supporting documents as a single PDF file including:
  • letter of recommendation from a university professor;
  • documents proving the knowledge of the languages (certificates or diplomas);
  • ID card or Passport;
  • (optional) letter of recommendation from a political figure (local, national or European) belonging to the EPP family;
• university studies diploma(s) OR a certificate proving that you completed at least six semesters at a university.

Option 2) Unpaid Traineeship

• complete the online application form available on the EPP Group’s Traineeships page in English;
• upload a Europass CV in English;
• upload a one page pdf document in English answering to the following questions:

  (Your answers must be in Times New Roman font, size 12 and contain maximum 250 words per question);

  1. Why have you chosen this traineeship in the EPP Group?
  2. Why do you apply to the specific Directorate/Unit?
• upload following supporting documents as a single PDF file including:
  • letter of recommendation from a university professor;
  • documents proving the knowledge of the languages (certificates or diplomas);
  • ID card or Passport;
  • (optional) letter of recommendation from a political figure (local, national or European) belonging to the EPP family;
• an attestation from the university stating that a traineeship is compulsory within the framework of the studies and its required length (maximum 3 months).

Qualified candidates with technical, HR and Information and Communication Technology (ICT) backgrounds are welcomed.

We wish specifically to encourage qualified candidates with disabilities to apply for the traineeship.

CANDIDATES WHO DO NOT MEET ALL ADMISSION REQUIREMENTS OR FAIL TO UPLOAD ADMISSION DOCUMENTS WILL AUTOMATICALLY BE ELIMINATED FROM THE SELECTION PROCEDURE.

Candidates can apply only for one of the currently open Calls for Interest for trainees. In case of multiple applications, your application to the Trainee Generalist Call will be disregarded.

Please note that your selected option of the Directorate in which you would like to undertake your traineeship does not constitute an automatic placement. The final decision lies with the Selection Committee while taking into account the availability of the traineeship positions and the Group´s needs.

Only in case of technical problems you can contact the Human Resources Unit of the EPP Group by email epp-stages@europarl.europa.eu.