European Commission Blue Book Traineeship (Brussels)

The Blue Book Traineeship is the European Commission’s flagship five-month paid internship, placing around 1,000 graduates per session inside EU departments, agencies and the External Action Service in Brussels, Luxembourg and beyond. Trainees receive a monthly grant of about EUR 1,538 plus travel reimbursement while drafting documents, supporting projects and sitting in the rooms where EU policy is made.

All EU citizens can apply with no age limit, and each session reserves a quota for non-EU nationals, who need only one working language. Applications for the March 2027 session are open from July 22 to August 28, 2026, so this window is live now.

• Graduates who have completed at least a three-year higher education degree (bachelor's level, EQF 6) by the application deadline, in any discipline.
• Open to EU citizens with no age limit, plus a limited quota of places reserved for non-EU nationals each session.
• No prior work experience inside EU institutions exceeding six weeks.
• Languages: EU nationals need two EU official languages, one of them English, French or German at C1-C2; non-EU nationals need only one procedural language (English, French or German) at C1-C2.
• All academic profiles are placed, from law, economics and international relations to communication, science and IT.
• Translation traineeships at DG Translation require translating into your main language from two other EU languages.
• An open, proactive attitude toward European affairs is explicitly part of selection.

• Work for five months inside a European Commission department, executive agency or the European External Action Service.
• Attend and organize meetings, working groups and public hearings at the heart of EU policymaking.
• Research and draft documents, briefings and reports used by your unit.
• Answer citizens' inquiries and support the management of real projects and programmes.
• Translation trainees translate documents alongside DG Translation's professional linguists.
• Join the enormous trainee community's events, committees and networks in Brussels and Luxembourg.

• Monthly grant of about EUR 1,538 to cover living expenses, plus reimbursement of travel to and from Brussels or Luxembourg.
• Around 1,000 positions per session, twice a year, one of the largest structured traineeships anywhere.
• Insight into EU policymaking that is nearly impossible to gain elsewhere, valued by employers across governments, NGOs and business.
• Placements across the Commission's departments, agencies and even national bureaus in the 27 member states.
• A famous trainee social scene: committees, trips and a network that lasts decades.
• The scientific track at the Joint Research Centre suits STEM graduates specifically.

• Register on the Blue Book portal via EU Login during the session window: for the March 2027 session, applications run from July 22, 2026 (10:00 Brussels time) to August 28, 2026 (10:00 Brussels time).
• Complete the online application carefully, in the language of your target track, with your CV and motivation.
• Pre-selected candidates enter the Blue Book database, from which Commission units pick their trainees, so a sharp, keyword-clear profile matters.
• Respond fast when units contact you for interviews, and be ready to upload supporting documents within a strict one-week window.
• Offers confirm your unit, city and the March 1, 2027 start.
• The following window (for the October 2027 session) opens around mid-February 2027.