€1,538 EU Council Traineeship (Feb 2027)

Organization: General Secretariat of the Council of the European Union

Type: Internship

Location: European Union

Deadline: September 15, 2026

Funding: Fully Funded

The General Secretariat of the Council of the European Union runs a traineeship programme in Brussels twice a year, and makes 110 places available annually. Trainees join teams working on policy, law, administration, communications, translation and IT, and take part in the Council's day to day business. This intake runs from 1 February to 30 June 2027. **What you get:** - A monthly grant of €1,538.16 net, with nothing deducted for tax or social security - A €70 monthly meal allowance - A travel allowance if you are recruited from more than 50 km from Brussels, paid at the start and end of the traineeship - Two days of leave for every month worked, on top of public holidays - Accident insurance paid for by the Council, and access to Council health insurance at around €20 a month if you have no other cover - Access to all Council library resources, and the option to join the Council gym for €30 **What you'll do:** - Work inside one of the General Secretariat's teams, in one of the two domains you choose when you apply - Prepare meetings, draft minutes, and help produce documents, notes and publications - Attend meetings of Council preparatory bodies if you are placed in a policy team - Carry out research for a project, and collect, organise and analyse data - Translate documents, or contribute to events and communication activities - Help out during EU and international summits, and visit other EU institutions in Brussels, Strasbourg and Luxembourg **Key dates:** - Applications close 15 September 2026 at 12:00 Brussels time - Candidates are selected between October and December 2026 - Shortlisted candidates are contacted for an online or telephone interview no later than December 2026 - Unsuccessful candidates are informed by email by the end of December 2026 - The traineeship runs 1 February to 30 June 2027 - The next intake, running 1 September 2027 to 31 January 2028, takes applications in February and March 2027 **More information:** - Full eligibility rules are on the Council's 'Who can apply for a traineeship' page - Decision 14/25 of the Secretary-General sets out the binding rules for the programme - A 20 page FAQ covers the grant, insurance, supporting documents and estimated living costs in Brussels - You choose two 'domains' in the application form; the Council publishes a description of domains and a version written by former trainees

General Secretariat of the Council of the European UnionInternship

€1,538 EU Council Traineeship (Feb 2027)

This one has closed

Archived

Opportunity type

Internship

Funding

Fully Funded

Location

Global

Deadline

Archived

About this opportunity

What you get:

A monthly grant of €1,538.16 net, with nothing deducted for tax or social security
A €70 monthly meal allowance
A travel allowance if you are recruited from more than 50 km from Brussels, paid at the start and end of the traineeship
Two days of leave for every month worked, on top of public holidays
Accident insurance paid for by the Council, and access to Council health insurance at around €20 a month if you have no other cover
Access to all Council library resources, and the option to join the Council gym for €30

What you'll do:

Work inside one of the General Secretariat's teams, in one of the two domains you choose when you apply
Prepare meetings, draft minutes, and help produce documents, notes and publications
Attend meetings of Council preparatory bodies if you are placed in a policy team
Carry out research for a project, and collect, organise and analyse data
Translate documents, or contribute to events and communication activities
Help out during EU and international summits, and visit other EU institutions in Brussels, Strasbourg and Luxembourg

Key dates:

Applications close 15 September 2026 at 12:00 Brussels time
Candidates are selected between October and December 2026
Shortlisted candidates are contacted for an online or telephone interview no later than December 2026
Unsuccessful candidates are informed by email by the end of December 2026
The traineeship runs 1 February to 30 June 2027
The next intake, running 1 September 2027 to 31 January 2028, takes applications in February and March 2027

More information:

Full eligibility rules are on the Council's 'Who can apply for a traineeship' page
Decision 14/25 of the Secretary-General sets out the binding rules for the programme
A 20 page FAQ covers the grant, insurance, supporting documents and estimated living costs in Brussels
You choose two 'domains' in the application form; the Council publishes a description of domains and a version written by former trainees

Who can apply

You must be a citizen of an EU member state, proven by an EU passport or national ID card. Residence permits are not accepted.
You must hold a university degree at bachelor level or higher by the closing date, 15 September 2026, at the latest.
You need a very good knowledge of English or French at C1 level or above on the Common European Framework of Reference.
You need a very good knowledge of at least one other official EU language.
You must not have had previous training, paid or unpaid, or employment lasting more than six weeks at any EU institution, body, agency or office.
There is no age limit for applicants.
Applicants to the positive action programme for trainees with a disability must instead be at least a third year student, and must email proof of disability to the traineeships office before the closing date.
Applications must go through the Council's online system. Spontaneous applications are not considered.
Graduates from any background who want first hand experience of how EU policy is made. Applicants come from across the 27 EU member states, and where candidates are judged to be of equal merit the traineeships office aims for as many nationalities as possible and for 40% representation of the underrepresented gender. Up to six places a year are reserved for EU nationals with a recognised disability, under a separate positive action programme with its own admission rules.

AI Verification

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Good to know

+Paid: €1,538 net a month, plus a €70 meal allowance, a travel allowance and two days of leave for every month you work.
+110 places a year, so this is a proper intake rather than a single job going to one person.
+Accident insurance is covered by the Council.
+Five months inside the General Secretariat of the Council of the European Union, in Brussels.

Worth checking yourself

!You must be an EU citizen. They ask for a passport or national ID card, and residence permits are not accepted.
!The deadline is midday Brussels time on 15 September, not the end of the day. Do not leave it to the evening.
!The grant arrives after you start, so expect to cover roughly €1,200 to €1,600 for a Brussels rental deposit and your first month before the first payment lands.
!The intake starts 1 February 2027 and runs to 30 June, and there are only two intakes a year, so a late application waits months.

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