Administrative Traineeship for University Graduates (Blue Book)

Benefits & funding

• Five months of paid experience inside the European Commission. The living allowance is a monthly grant adjusted to the place of assignment: for the March 2027 session it ranges from EUR 1,047 in Bulgaria to EUR 2,081 in Denmark, and is EUR 1,572 in Belgium and Luxembourg, where most placements sit.
• Subject to budget availability: a general travel allowance of EUR 275, a meal and public transport allowance worth 5% of the adjusted monthly grant, and an accommodation allowance worth 20% of it.
• Trainees with a recognised disability may receive a supplementary allowance of up to 50% of the adjusted monthly grant, on proof.
• Around 1,000 traineeship positions are offered per session, across Commission departments, executive agencies, Commissioner cabinets and decentralised agencies such as the EEAS, EDPS, EEA, EFCA, FRONTEX, SESAR, SRB and EU-RAIL.
• Placements are mostly in Brussels, with posts in Luxembourg and elsewhere in the European Union, including Commission representations in Member States.

Eligibility

• Open to nationals of the Member States of the European Union; a limited number of places is allocated to nationals of countries covered by the EU pre-accession strategy.
• A completed higher-education degree at EQF level 6 or higher, worth at least 180 ECTS credits and covering at least three academic years. The diploma must already be obtained at the time of application.
• Degrees earned outside the EU are accepted when they represent a completed three-year higher-education cycle.
• Applicants must be 18 or older on the starting date of the traineeship.
• EU nationals: English, French or German at C1/C2 or as a mother tongue, plus a second official EU language at B2 or above.
• Non-EU nationals: English, French or German at C1/C2 or as a mother tongue.
• Anyone with more than 42 calendar days of prior or ongoing work, paid or unpaid, in any EU institution, body or agency is excluded.
• A valid passport or national identity card matching the declared nationality is required.

Application process

1. 1
   Create an EU Login account using an email address that stays valid until the end of the traineeship.
2. 2
   Complete the online application form during the open registration period and select the ADMIN UG traineeship type.
3. 3
   Merge every supporting document — education, language knowledge, identity, declared experience — into a single PDF and upload it.
4. 4
   Submit before the deadline. No further documents or corrections are accepted afterwards, and only one application per session is allowed.
5. 5
   Wait for the eligibility check, which usually takes four to eight weeks after the deadline; candidates who pass enter the Virtual Blue Book.
6. 6
   Inside the Virtual Blue Book, apply to up to three published positions, one per round, with a general motivation text of 500 to 1,500 characters and a cover letter tailored to each position.
7. 7
   Accept the written placement offer issued by the Traineeships Office. Informal contact from a recruiting unit is not binding.

Program timeline

1. 22 July 2026

   Applications open for the March 2027 session

2. Application deadline

   4 September 2026, 10:00 Brussels time

3. Pre-selection

   September–October 2026

4. Selection

   November–December 2026

5. Traineeship starts

   1 March 2027

6. Traineeship ends

   31 July 2027