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Blue Book traineeship programme.

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Traineeship Specific privacy statement

Specific privacy statement for the official traineeship with the European Commission, agencies and bodies.

This declaration relates to the application management system for official traineeships as part of the European Commission's traineeship programme.

Application management system

This privacy statement explains the reason for the processing, the way we collect, handle and ensure protection of all personal data provided, how that information is used and what rights you may exercise in relation to your data (the right to access, rectify, delete etc.).

The online application form on this site is the ‘public’ part. The application management system serves to process personal data, which means that it is subject to the applicable data protection legislation currently in force (Regulation (EU) 2018/1725 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 23 October 2018). Included in the Register of DPO (Data Protection Officer) grouping basic Commission documentation for data processing operations, this privacy statement explains how the system uses personal data and how their confidentiality is ensured.

Why is my information needed?

Data collection meets the following objectives

  • identify all candidates for an internship with the European Commission, agencies and bodies participating in the program through a Service Level Agreement
  • support the selection procedures for trainees
  • provide support for procedures relating to the administrative management of trainees (recruitment, course development, definition of individual rights, assignment to posts)
  • control returns of books from the Commission's library
  • prepare the appropriate IT and technical environment for the responsibilities of the intern in his department
  • grant access rights to the buildings and IT systems of the Commission and its Agencies/services, as far as necessary within the framework of the traineeship
  • support the financial management procedures of the trainees
  • establish anonymous statistics on candidates and trainees
  • establish the taking of support measures in the event of disability and / or health problems
  • serve as a support for the periodic evaluations of the internship activity aimed at determining its effectiveness, efficiency, usefulness and impact
  • invite candidates / trainees to events intended for them and, if necessary, to complete all the administrative conditions necessary for access and participation
  • invite trainees to conferences and events addressed to them. Invitations can be sent by the Traineeships Office or HR services to professional or private email addresses. Private addresses can be used in two cases, in particular before the start of the traineeship for candidates and during the traineeship period for Blue Book (BB) trainees who do not have a professional email address. In case of messages addressed to multiple recipients, email addresses have to be in BCC.
  • issue traineeship certificates and career reconstruction files
  • promote the traineeship programme in its diversity and accessibility - concerning in particular anonymous statistical data, photos/videos taken during the traineeship and voluntary testimonials from trainees from past sessions
  • as a contact point for reasons of business continuity and/ or in the event of evacuation exercises

The Commission will not process your data for any purposes except those listed above.

What information is collected?

In line with the principles of necessity and proportionality, the following information is collected further to candidates' introduction of data through the online registration tool

  • basic personal information (surname, first name, middle name, maiden name, sex, marital status, nationality and date of birth, place and country of birth)
  • information on higher education, professional experience, language skills, research or possible publications, as well as computer and office automation skills
  • information on the motivations and preferences regarding the type of internship and the field of activity
  • contact details (permanent address, telephone number and email address; name, address and telephone number of the person to be contacted in the event of an emergency, EU Login)

In addition to this information entered online by candidates, the Traineeships Office collects documents downloaded by shortlisted candidates to prove their eligibility

  • copy of passport or identity card
  • copy - and translation, if necessary - of the diplomas and proof of studies declared in the application form
  • proof of linguistic knowledge (copy of diplomas, certificates) declared
  • if applicable, proof of declared professional experience (certificate from the employer)
  • if applicable, additional curriculum vitae and / or letters of reference

If necessary, the following additional personal information can be collected

  • first name, last name and date of birth of the spouse and each child, so that they can be covered by the Commission's health insurance scheme
  • legal entity sheet, third party file and supporting documents for travel expenses, electronic photo for the production of the access card
  • description of any disabilities, so that the necessary accessibility measures can be put in place
  • based on consent: testimonials, group or individual photos / videos; in this case, the trainees will be informed of their rights as well as the details of the processing of this data (data controller, objective, duration of storage, rights)

No data are collected on racial or ethnic origin, political opinions, religious or ideological convictions, membership of trade unions or political parties or gender identity.

How is my information stored?

Data collection and processing is carried out using Commission’s standard IT resources and telecommunications infrastructure.

The data is stored on a central server with individualised access by means of a secure Web interface.

Who has access to my information?

Apart from data subjects, who is entitled to inspect data for the purpose of correction and deletion?  Access depends mainly on the type of traineeship you applied for and on how many rounds in the selection process to make it through.

The staff of the Internship Office and the IT services of the Commission have access to your data throughout the procedure, depending on the progress of your file. The eligibility check is performed by pre-selection committees, composed of officials and agents.

Brussels Economy and Employment, Office for Foreigners and Belgian Immigration Office (concerns only selected candidates, nationals of non-EU countries).

Your data may also be passed on to the following departments.

Traineeship type

Stage

Scope

Electronic data from the online form
All Pre-selection All candidates The candidates' pre-selection committee has access to electronic data from the online form and supporting documents.
Administrative Selection Preselected eligible candidates Accessible to human resources departments of the European Commission [as well as the agencies and executive bodies that have signed a service level agreement (SLA) with the Commission].
     

Partially accessible to all Commission services (as well as the agencies and executive bodies which have signed an NSA).

The following data are not accessible: data relating to civil status, date of birth, place and country of birth, contact information. These services use this data to identify suitable candidates for the allocation of traineeship places.
Translation Selection Preselected eligible candidates Accessible to the competent linguistic department.
All Recruitment and traineeship Selected candidates

Accessible to European Commission's human resources departments (as well as to agencies and executive bodies that have signed a service-level agreement with the Commission).

During the traineeship certain personal data are shared with and processed by other EC services (DG HR, BUDG, PMO, DIGIT, OIB) and their subcontractors, in line with their tasks and responsibilities. Since the list of subcontractors is dynamic, you can contact the Controller at any time to request the current complete list.

The trainee's work e-mail addresses are published during the traineeship period in the Outlook Address Book of the European Institutions and should be used exclusively for purely professional reasons.
     

Partly accessible

  • other European institutions have access, on request, to the list of successful candidates and trainees (last name, first name, middle name, gender, date of birth and internship period), for the sole purpose of identifying candidates who have already completed an internship in the EU institutions

  • health / accident insurance company has access, on request, to the list of trainees (last name, first name, middle name and sex) as well as to data of their family members declared for the insurance offered by the Commission

  • IT services and security service, which grants access rights to Commission buildings (as well as agencies and executive bodies that have signed an ANS), has access to the list of successful candidates and trainees (EU Login, name, first name, nationality, photo, date of birth, contact details and date of validity of the identity card)
     

Data included in the European Commission's personnel management systems: first name, last name, middle name(s), maiden name, sex, marital status, date of birth, place of birth, country of birth, nationality, spoken languages, traineeship period, photo, ID/Passport data, contact data.

The data might be disclosed, upon request, for auditing purposes (Internal Audit Capacity of DG EAC, DG IAS, OLAF, Court of Auditors).

How long is my information kept?

Trainees’ files until March 2007 session were kept in their entirety.

Between 2007 (O07) and 2013, trainees' files were deleted after five years except application forms, offers of traineeships, letters of acceptance and attestations of traineeships. These are kept for 50 years, and then are deleted.

As from 2013, trainees’ files are kept for five years, and then they are deleted except the sheet for the reconstruction of one's career which is kept for 50 years.

Who?

Data
Data from not valid applications (doubles, applications not finalised in the system) Data not retained: data are deleted after the application submission deadline.
Candidates who do not make it through the preselection round Data is retained for 2 years. After this period all personal data of candidates are deleted.
Preselected candidates who are not selected at the final stage Data is retained for 2 years. After this period all personal data of candidates are deleted.
Candidates selected for traineeships

The following documents are retained for 5 years after the end of the traineeship

  • application form of the candidate, including all annexes – copies of diplomas and certificates, copy of passport
  • assessment and pre-selection sheet
  • offer of a European Commission traineeship
  • copy of the attestation of training issued to the trainee on completion of the traineeship
  • where appropriate, correspondence attesting early termination of the traineeship
  • proof or legal personality (FEL)

The following are kept for 50 years after the end of the traineeship

  • Statements of insurance history containing information such as first name, last name, middle name(s), date of birth, traineeship period, directorate-general/service where the trainee worked and amount of the grant received

Data shared with other EC services (DG HR, BUDG, PMO, DIGIT, OIB) in line with their tasks and responsibilities are stored in the IT-tools of those services for the duration of the legally established retention periods, foreseen by the Financial Regulation and the Commission Common Retention List.
Photos, videos and testimonials of trainees obtained on the basis of consent At any time, trainees have the right to request the deletion of this data from the Commission's servers and internet pages and not to include them in future publications. This data will be saved and can be used for a maximum of 5 years, then it will be destroyed.

How can I access my information?

As a data subject, you can access your information to check its accuracy. Since the form you submit is, by definition, an application form, you are entitled to enter all the required information yourself. Accordingly, you are responsible for the accuracy and correct entry of all the details you provide. The assumption is that you have consented to share this information with us, subject to the restrictions laid down in this specific privacy statement.

The online application form is available only during the application period. During that period, you can access the form ‘in progress’ (entry and amendment of your data) only for as long as your application is not submitted. Once the application has been submitted, you can no longer amend or add data, because access is then in read-only mode.

Once the deadline for applications has passed, you can always access your data online, but you will not be able to alter them.

In the case of justified demands for deletion coming from not selected candidates, we delete all data permitting your identification, and we keep exclusively main anonymous information for statistical purposes.

Once you have submitted your application, you may do the following, where appropriate

  • ask us for a copy of the data entered in your form
  • notify us of any changes in your contact details or marital status (postal and/or e-mail address)
  • ask us to cancel your application and delete the information we hold concerning you; please note that, in this case, you will not be able to make a fresh application for the same traineeship period

    All requests must be made in writing to the Traineeships Office.

    How secure is my information?

    The following security measures are taken to ensure that your data is not misused or accessed without authorisation

    • data is collected online in secure mode, using Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure (HTTPS). Access to your data through the online form is protected by the password of your choice.
    • the electronic data is stored in the Commission’s Data Centre in Luxembourg, which means that it is protected by numerous security measures set up by the Directorate-General for Informatics to protect the integrity and confidentiality of the Institution's electronic property.
    • access to personal data is protected through the management of access rights, which are strictly limited, under the ‘need to know’ principle, by the user’s remit
    • rights of access are linked to people’s duties and posts, and so they are continually subject to updating as new officials are assigned to particular tasks or others are reassigned to different tasks
    • logins and passwords are registered and administered by the European Commission's joint authentication services

    Who can I contact?

    If you have any questions or complaints, you can always contact us

    • by using the contact form on this website
    • by using our postal address

    Traineeships Office

    Directorate-General Education, Youth, Sport and Culture

    European Commission

    1049 Brussels

    Belgium

    It is also possible to contact the Data Controller: who is the head of the Traineeships Office in the Directorate-General for Education, Youth, Sport and Culture (DG EAC).

    If you have further queries or complaints, you can also contact - preferably in this order

    In case of conflict, complaints can be addressed to the European Data Protection Supervisor (EDPS): http://www.edps.europa.eu.

    Links to other sites

    Rules for the protection of personal data inside and outside the EU
    European Data Protection Board (EDPB)
    A Europe fit for the digital age