The European Commission Blue Book Traineeship Program applications are open to international students for 2025. Available twice a year, the Blue Book Traineeship is a five-month paid internship by the European Commission. It offers graduates global exposure to EU policymaking and administration in a multicultural setting.

The European Commission offers two types of traineeship: an Administrative Traineeship or a Translation Traineeship with the Directorate-General for Translation (DGT).

Candidates from around the world, regardless of their citizenship, race, color, sex, ethnicity, social origin, religion and belief, membership of a national minority, disability, age, or sexual orientation, can apply for these opportunities.

Successful trainees will work around the European Commission, its services, and its agencies. They may mostly work in Brussels, Luxembourg, and elsewhere across the European Union.

Career opportunities vary among these different entities; also, the nature of work will depend on the service assigned to the trainees. They may work in human resources, competition law, environmental policy, translation, etc.

Brief Details

• Application Starts of October 2025: 17 February 2025 at 10:00 a.m. (Brussels time)
• Application Deadline: 17 March 2025 at 10:00 a.m. (Brussels time)
• Organized By: European Commission
•  Host Country: Brussels or European Union Countries 
• Duration: 5 months (October to February)
• Funding Type: Fully-Funded
• Gender: Male/Female
• Degree Level: None
• Eligible Countries: All

Benefits

The following are some advantages that the Blue Book Traineeship Program provides:

• A monthly stipend of €1,418.20 per month for trainees;
• Visa expenses; 
• Payment of medical costs;
• Travel expenditures.  

Eligibility Criteria

To be eligible, candidates should fulfill the following requirements:

• The program is open to all EU citizens and offers a limited number of places to non-EU nationals;
• Candidates must be university graduates who have completed a standard 3-year higher education degree (minimum EQF 6 level); 
• Must not have any prior work experience over six weeks in any EU institution or agency, delegation, with a member of Advocates General at the Court of Justice of the EU (EUCJ), or Members of the European Parliament (MEPs);  
• Meet the language proficiency level: 

1. For the administrative traineeship applicant must have an excellent knowledge of Two EU official languages, one of which should be a working language, including English, German or French at C1 or C2 level as per the CEFR, and a second one at least B2 level as per the CEFR;
2. For the translation traineeship in the (DGT): Trainees should be able to translate into their mother tongue (Target Language) from two other official EU languages (Source languages, including English, French or German);

• The selection committee will give additional points for the applicant’s work experience, international education profile, work or volunteering experience abroad, an international environment work aptitude, and rare fields of study; 
• No age limitation exists for participating in the traineeship program;

Also, trainees expected: 

• An open-minded approach to European issues;
• Passion and interest to learn about the Commission’s working methods;
• Willingness to work in a multicultural environment;
• To contribute to the Commission’s daily work;
• A proactive attitude.

Trainee’s Daily Work

The trainee’s daily work consists of the following:

• Attending and organizing working groups, meetings, and public hearings;
• Researching, editing, and drafting documentation such as reports and consultations;
• Responding to citizens’ inquiries;
• Supporting the management of projects;
• Translating, revising translations, or researching terminology.

 Required Documents

Candidates should prepare and submit the following documents:

• A copy of a valid passport or identification card;
• Copies of all university degrees and transcripts from the relevant university;
• Copies of certifications or licenses obtained; 
• Copies of all declared work experience documents in the home country, including letters of reference, contracts, pay slips, tax declarations, and invoices;
• Copies of all international experience documents as per the application form, including letters of reference, contracts, pay slips, tax declarations, and invoices;
• Copies of language skills documents from Instituto Cervantes, Alliance française, Goethe Institute, etc., or from a state-recognized language school corresponding to CERF. For further details, please read the questions about eligibility. 

Application Procedure

The application procedure has three steps:

1. Create an EU account or log in with an existing account; 
2. Fill out and submit the application form and supporting documents;
3. If successful, check the open positions published on the Virtual Blue Book (VBB) portal and apply for a selected traineeship post.

Recruitment Procedure

The European Commission’s recruitment procedure, from applying to hopefully accepting a traineeship of the Blue Book Traineeship Program, is as follows:

• Applications: Traineeships start in October, and the applications open in January of the same year. Traineeships begin in March, and the applications open from August of the previous year.
• Evaluation: the system automatically assesses the candidates’ applications.
• Eligibility Check: A committee of independent evaluators will verify candidates’ supporting documents against the information provided in their application.
• Virtual Blue Book (VBB) And Application for Traineeship Positions: Around 3,000 successful candidates from the highest-scored candidates will be included in the Virtual Blue Book (VBB). 
• Selection: Once in the VBB, candidates can apply for up to three (3) traineeship positions.  
• Placement Offer: If selected, the Traineeships Office issues the placement offer, and the candidates can accept or reject the bid. 
• Candidate Decision: In this step, candidates accept or reject the traineeship for this session, and the Traineeships Office will send further offers.

How to Apply?

Please follow the instructions below:

1. Create an account and fill in the application form
2. Click the ‘submit’ tab. 
3. Check the email inbox and spam folder for confirmation.
4. Follow the link in the email to ‘create a password.’
5. Please enter a password and submit it
6. Click ‘proceed’ to the application form.
7. Use the registered email or your ECAS username to log in. 

Note: It is better to apply for the selected specific post as early as possible because the position will disappear from the list.   

Apply Now

Check More Opportunities 

• EPFL Excellence Fellowship in Switzerland for International Master Students 2025
• AJI Reporting Fellowship 2025-2027 in the US
• Global Connect Fellowship (GCF) 2025 at NTU Singapore

For further details about the Blue Book Traineeship Program, please visit the European Commission’s official website or read the FAQ section.

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