Organization: European Union
Website and contact information:
www.europa.eu.int
Council of the European Union
Rue de la Loi 175 B-1048
Bruxelles BELGIUM
Location of headquarters:
Brussels, Belgium
Year founded:
1950 (‘Schuman’ Plan) –I would recommend using this date
1993 (‘Maastricht’ Treaty on European Union enters into force)
Mandate and/or mission statement:
Europe’s mission in the 21st century is to:
Current head/director (and nationality):
Number of Member States and/or Observer States:
27 Member States
Operating budget:
$126.5 billion (2007)
Number and location of missions or field offices (if applicable):
Number of employees:
Grades descriptions:
Administrators’ Career (AD)
Candidates for an Administrator's (AD, previously A*) job at the EU Institutions need drive, initiative, skills in managing people and resources, and imagination. As a new official you can look forward to a stimulating career. Graduate opportunities exist in many areas including administration, management, law, finance and economics to name but a few. Many are open to graduates of any discipline while some will require specific experience. You could find yourself participating in the EU legislative and budgetary processes, coordinating the broad economic policies of the Member States, taking part in negotiations with non-EU countries, helping run the common agricultural policy, or ensuring that Community law is uniformly interpreted and effectively applied. Whatever you do, the broad range of the EU's activities, means you can expect a high degree of responsibility at an early point in your career.
Participation in AD competitions requires a university level of education ; the minimum educational requirements are:
Grades AD5 and 6:
i) a level of education which corresponds to completed university studies of at least three years attested by a diploma or
ii) where justified in the interests of the service, professional training of an equivalent level.
Grades AD7 to 16:
i) a level of education which corresponds to completed university studies attested by a diploma when the normal period of university education is four years or more, or
ii) a level of education which corresponds to completed university studies attested by a diploma and appropriate professional experience of at least one year when the normal period of university education is at least three years, or
iii) where justified in the interests of the service, professional training of an equivalent level.
Translators and Interpreters careers (linguist Administrators, AD)
Language skills do of course form a key part of the entry competitions for interpreters and translators. These candidates must have appropriate language qualifications and must hold a university degree. Participation in linguists' AD competitions requires a university level of education ; the minimum educational requirements are:
Grades AD5 and 6:
i) a level of education which corresponds to completed university studies of at least three years attested by a diploma or
ii) where justified in the interests of the service, professional training of an equivalent level.
Grades AD7 to 16:
i) a level of education which corresponds to completed university studies attested by a diploma when the normal period of university education is four years or more, or
ii) a level of education which corresponds to completed university studies attested by a diploma and appropriate professional experience of at least one year when the normal period of university education is at least three years, or
iii) where justified in the interests of the service, professional training of an equivalent level.
Assistant Posts (AST)
Staff appointed to Assistants' posts are mainly responsible for executive tasks and participate in every area of EU activity. Candidates must have the professional experience, as it is defined in the competition notice, in a field related to the activity for which they are applying. This can vary considerably, and there may be occasional competitions for generalists. AST staff are mainly responsible for executive tasks and participate in every area of EU activity. They may play an important role in the internal management of the EU Institutions, notably in budgetary and financial affairs, personnel work, computing or librarianship. They may also assist in implementing policies in various areas of EU activities. Staff in AST posts may also be responsible for secretarial and clerical work, maintaining archives and ensuring the efficient operation of an administrative unit. In view of the specific nature of secretarial work, and in the interests of more efficient staff management, competitions for AST category recruitment may be organised on a language basis for typists and secretarial assistants, with separate competitions for the various official EU languages. Participation in AST competitions require a level of secondary or post-secondary education; the minimum educational requirements are:
i) a level of post-secondary education attested by a diploma, or
ii) a level of secondary education attested by a diploma giving access to post-secondary education, and appropriate professional experience of at least three years, or
iii) where justified in the interests of the service, professional training or professional experience of an equivalent level.
Where does this organization advertise when there are job openings?
Going on for competitions
List of competitions
Non-permanent posts
What is the job application process?
See instructions on How to Apply
1. On-line registration
Before encoding your on-line application, you are advised to check carefully that you meet all the eligibility conditions for the competition. Detailed instructions are available on this website.
2. Sending in your complete file
There are two possible procedures at this stage:
a) competition with admission/pre-selection tests: the best candidates in these tests (see notice of competition) are requested to submit a full application for consideration before being invited to the next stage for the competition. However, for interpreter competitions, candidates must submit a full application by registered mail, at the same time as registering online, before being invited to the admission tests.
b) competition based on tests and/or qualifications, without admission tests: candidates are requested to submit a full application before being considered for the first stage of the competition.
In order to be considered complete, applications must include all of the following:
- the completed and signed application form; by signing, you certify on your honour that you meet the standards of good character required of European Institution officials and that the information provided is complete and accurate.
- a numbered annex listing your educational qualifications, and where necessary, documents certifying your professional experience and/or any other document requested;
- a copy of all the supporting documents listed in these numbered annexes.
3. Details of education and qualifications (see notice of competition)
a) You must indicate clearly in your application the dates of your periods of study, the level at which you studied and the date on which your qualification(s) was (were) awarded. If you have completed a technical or vocational training course, or a course of further or specialist training, you must indicate whether these were full-time, part-time or evening classes, as well as the subjects covered and the official length of the course.
b) You must also include in your application photocopies of the diplomas/certificates or training you have obtained at the level specified in the competition notice.
4. Details of professional experience (see notice of competition)
You must:
a) state in your application the exact dates when you started and finished each period of employment, the position you held and the nature of your duties in that position;
b) enclose with your application photocopies of references from previous employers and from your current employer showing that you have the required level and length of professional experience to take part in the competition. You must provide such proof for every period of employment relevant to the competition.
N.B.: If you are unable to provide an employer's reference for a particular period of employment, a photocopy of the relevant contract(s) of employment, together with photocopies of your first and last pay slip for the period(s) may replace the required documents. For any unsalaried employment (such as self-employed or freelance activity in one of the liberal professions), we will accept copies of your tax returns or any other relevant official document.
See Guide for Applicants for more detailed information.
Does this organization take volunteers? Unknown
What are the expectations, minimum requirements and application procedures for volunteers in this organization? Unknown
Does this organization take interns?
Yes, through Traineeships
What are the expectations, minimum requirements and application procedures for Interns in this organization?
Nationality
Trainees are selected from nationals of the Member States of the European Union
and of candidate countries benefiting from a pre-accession strategy. However, a
limited number of nationals of non-Member States are also accepted according to
available resources.
University Diploma
Candidates must have completed the first cycle of a higher education course
(university education) and obtained a full degree or its equivalent by the closing date
for applications. For minimum national qualifications required by the legislation in
the country where the diploma was obtained, see Annex I. The Commission
maintains the right to change these minimum qualifications used for the official
traineeships programme in line with any possible future changes in civil servants
recruitment policies.
Qualifications:
Currently, the majority of applications come from candidates with qualifications in law, political science, international relations and economics. However, the Commission is also looking for trainees with qualifications in other fields, such as: computer sciences, agricultural technology, education studies, bio-chemical engineering, health and food safety, energy management, auditing, aerospace engineering, psychology, financial management, evaluation and strategic analysis (notably systems dynamics), design, multimedia, sports management, and so on.
Administrative traineeship
Translation traineeship with the Directorate General for Translation (DGT)
See Eligibility for more information.
To submit your application, you must:
*The on-line application form is available in English, German and French, which are the official working languages of the Commission. A very good knowledge of one of these three languages is compulsory in order to apply:
What are the basic requirements for prospective applicants?
General requirements include:
- be a citizen of one of the Member States of the European Union;
- be entitled to your full rights as a citizen;
- have fulfilled any obligations imposed on you by the laws on military service;
- meet the character requirements for the duties involved.
See Guide for Applicants for more detailed information.
All permanent staff for the EU institutions are recruited through open competitions that are published in the Official Journal of the European Union and on the EPSO web site. EPSO cannot consider any applications or CVs that are submitted outside the framework of an official competition. All relevant information about recruitment for the EU institutions can be found on the EPSO web site.
There are a number of ways of making sure that you are aware of opportunities:
• Check the Competitions pages at the Europa server EPSO site regularly.
Bookmark the page for future references.
• Call ‘Info-Recruitment’ on (32-2) 299 31 31 — they are open from 9.00 to 16.00
every working day and will be pleased to help you. They are based at
80, Avenue de Cortenbergh, B-1049 Brussels.
• There are also European Commission representations in each Member State
and delegations in the accession countries as well as European Parliament
information offices.
• You can subscribe directly to the Official Journal to receive the issues which
contain notices of competitions for all institutions. Special subscriptions known
as Official Journal ‘Open competitions’ (VJC) can be ordered from the
Publications Office online ordering or through a sales agent at an annual
subscription. You can also consult it online and free of any charge.