Annemijn's testimonial

"In October 2023, I started working as a trainee at the Representation of the European Commission in the Netherlands. The office is on the ‘Hofvijver’ in The Hague. That is a very nice location to work!  My traineeship started with a trip to the headquarters in Brussels, where I met many other Blue Book trainees.

After this introductory week, I had my first working day at the Representation, where I was warmly welcomed by my colleagues. As a trainee, I worked with the different teams at our Representation, in the areas of press, communication and politics. My colleagues immediately involved me in the projects they were working on and supported me in my work.

For instance, I compiled the weekly newsletter of the Representation and I contributed to political reports. For this task, it was important to closely follow the EU news and political developments in the Netherlands. I also helped my colleagues organise events, such as the Rule of Law Dialogue at Europe House and the Clean Air Forum in Rotterdam.

This traineeship allowed me to see the different sides of the work of the European Commission and specifically of the Representation. It was very special to work in an international context in The Hague. I learned a lot from my colleagues and was able to deepen my knowledge about the EU. That is why I found this traineeship a very valuable experience"