EU’s Blue Book traineeship programme opens to graduates from vocational education and training

For the first time, graduates from vocational education and training (VET) will be eligible to apply to the European Commission’s traineeship programme – the ‘Blue Book traineeship’ – broadening access to high-quality traineeships and recognising the value of diverse learning routes across Europe. 

The Commission updated rules for its traineeship programme on 16 July, establishing a single modernised framework that makes the scheme more inclusive and better aligned with Europe’s skills and employment objectives.

The Blue Book traineeship is the European Commission’s flagship traineeship programme, attracting primarily recent university graduates from across Europe and beyond. It offers participants a unique first-hand insight into the work of the European Commission and the functioning of the EU institutions more broadly. The programme also helps trainees develop a better understanding of the objectives of European integration and EU policies, while gaining experience in a multicultural working environment.

Traineeships are split into two types: Administrative Traineeships and Translation Traineeships unique to the Directorate-General for Translation (DGT). Scientific traineeships are also available at the European Commission’s Joint Research Centre.

The programme is open to all EU citizens, and a limited number of positions are allocated to non-EU nationals, including from the Eastern Partnership. Prospective applicants must hold a Bachelor’s degree or equivalent, not have any prior work experience in the EU institutions in excess of six weeks, and be fluent in at least two EU languages, one of which must be English, French, or German. 

Over the years, the Blue Book Traineeship has become one of the most attractive and competitive EU traineeship programmes. It receives around 36,000 applications each year and offers nearly 2,000 traineeship places annually across the Commission, 14 EU agencies and bodies, and the European External Action Service (EEAS).

The updated traineeship rules will start to apply for the session beginning in March 2027.

Applications for that session will be open from 22 July to 4 September 2026.

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Press release