Skip to main content
Traineeships home page Traineeships home page

Traineeships

Blue Book traineeship programme.

This site is available in English, French and German – the three working languages of the European Commission.

Rules governing the traineeship programme

Please ensure that you have read and fully understand these rules before applying to the Blue Book traineeship.

Legal base

Rules governing the official traineeships scheme of the European Commission

(Commission Decision of 2.03.2005 - C(2005)458)

Rules document available in 23 languages

Annex I - Basic diplomas required for the traineeship

Please note that you can only apply once you have been awarded a university-level or equivalent diploma comprising at least 3 years of study (see point 2.2 of the rules).

Many countries are in the process of reviewing their higher education systems. It is, therefore, not possible to provide a complete list of basic diplomas.

Annex II - European institutions and bodies

Important! Application criteria

  • if you have already worked (paid or unpaid) for more than six weeks (42 calendar days) in any other European institution, EU body, EU Agency, EU delegations, or for Members of Parliament (MEPs) or Advocates General at the EUCJ, you are not eligible to apply for Blue Book traineeship
  • if you volunteered for activities supporting the European Union and its institutions (such as EPSO's EU Career Ambassadors, DG Education and Culture's Erasmus Ambassadors, Youth Ambassadors or similar initiatives), please mention this in the 'motivation' section of your application, not under 'professional experience'

Correspondence

Any emails and attachments which are part of an email exchange between the Traineeships Office and external parties are strictly confidential and intended solely and exclusively for use by the individuals and/or entities to whom they are addressed.

The content of the messages may be confidential. If you are not the intended addressee, it is forbidden for you to disseminate, disclose, distribute or copy any message received.

If you have received one or more messages by mistake, please notify the sender immediately by email and delete the message(s).

Legal and medical related questions

Yes, visa costs and related medical fees will be reimbursed together with travel expenditures.

Personal health insurance coverage is compulsory for the entire duration of your traineeship. This can be provided by the Commission or by a third-party insurance company. 

The monthly contribution per person required in order to benefit from the Commission’s medical insurance, provided by Allianz Worldwide Care Company, is approximately €20. This amount will be automatically withdrawn from your monthly grant. If you choose to keep your private third-party insurance, the Commission will not deduct anything from your monthly grant.    

Any claims should be submitted directly to Allianz Worldwide Care Company.

The claims process is as follows:

  1. First, you will need to pay the bill yourself.
  2. Then fill in the medical expenses claims form and do not forget to attach the original invoices and proof of payment of the bill (e.g., a bank transfer document).

Always keep a copy of the form and the invoices. Payments are made by the insurance company.

It will take approximately two weeks to receive the reimbursement.

Please do not contact the Traineeships Office about reimbursements as they cannot help you. Contact Allianz Worldwide Care directly: +32 2 210 6501.

Yes, you can have both.

Yes, please check with your own insurance company if your insurance is valid for the whole period of your traineeship and for entire Europe. Find out about the conditions and rules for reimbursement of medical expenses as well as about the necessary procedures to be reimbursed.

Trainees based in Brussels should check if they need to register with a "mutualité" for reimbursement.

In Luxembourg, there are insurance companies which can ensure complementarity. Note that the procedures and rules may differ from one insurance company to another as well as from one country to another.

If you have your own health insurance and you need to register with a "mutualité" to obtain reimbursement for your expenses, you can find a list of "mutualités" on the INAMI website for Brussels and on GUICHET for Luxembourg.