Are you a young graduate interested in international relations? Are you curious to learn more about work of a diplomatic mission and how the EU Delegation represents EU interests and values in the Republic of Serbia?

We offer:

A traineeship of up to 6 months within the Political Section of the EU Delegation to Serbia, starting in March 2022.

The Political Section is responsible for following political relations between the EU and the Republic of Serbia.

It monitors elements related to political criteria of the accession negotiations, the area of rule of law, fundamental rights and follows Serbia's foreign policy. Its main interlocutors are government officials, members of the parliament, politicians, academic institutions/think tanks, civil society leaders, and foreign diplomats.

The Section is headed by a Head of Section and consists of a team of five people.

Main tasks:

• Creating contact lists, mailing lists and keeping them up to date;
• Short translations and summaries of incoming mail for the political section;
• Researching and preparing necessary background material on various political, legal and rule of law related matters  and assisting in monitoring and reporting on Serbia’s progress in meeting criteria of the accession negotiations, particularly related to Chapters 23 and 24;
• Organising events and related logistics;
• Attending events, conferences, meetings, taking notes and reporting back;
• Drafting invitations, replies to letters, minutes and reports from meetings;
• Summarising official documents, articles, opinion polls etc.;
• Table and power point presentations on political and legal topics;
• Filling in for ad hoc and urgent requests;
• Compiling and contributing to briefings and reports.

We look for:

Qualifications or special requirements:

• Due to the very evolutive context of the COVID-19 breakthrough, applicants currently residing in Serbia will only be considered
• University degree in political sciences, social studies or law;
• Fluent in English and Serbian both written and spoken (important to be able to have good understanding of topics in the local language);
• Good knowledge of the EU commitments and understanding of the political developments and the European integration process in Serbia;
• Good analytical skills and capacity to formulate these in a structured manner;
• Ability and willingness to work in an international environment;
• Ability to deliver good quality work output in tight deadlines;
• Computer literate with practical experience in Microsoft packages;
• Initiative, flexibility, good organisational skills and a team player is an advantage.

How to apply?

Candidates must apply to the e-mail address DELEGATION-SERBIA-ADMINISTRATION@eeas.europa.eu and send the following documents:

• A detailed standard Europass curriculum vitae (CV) (CVs in other format will not be considered)
• a cover letter describing why you want to participate in a EU traineeship
• and an application form

Please mention in the subject of your e-mail: Funded Traineeship - POL Section (you may only apply to 1 traineeship per delegation, however based on your profile, the delegation could offer you a traineeship in another section).

Important information to read before applying

Before applying you are requested to examine the dedicated website as well as the general eligibility criteria for a paid traineeship (Article 8 of the Decision ADMIN(2017)28 – Paid traineeship)

Each selected trainee will receive a monthly grant to cover living expenses. All costs related to travel inside the country of residence, visa, insurance, accommodation must be borne by the trainee.

Applications from non-eligible candidates will not be considered. After the evaluation of all applications, shortlisted candidates will be contacted and invited for an interview. Unsuccessful candidates will be notified by email. In case the selected candidate is not able to present the required documents, his/her candidacy will be rejected.

EU candidates currently residing in Serbia must provide proof that they will be covered against the risk of a pandemic and the costs of repatriation.

The traineeships can only be offered in compliance with the local legislation as well as the legislation of the country of origin.

The Delegation informs that even if our Headquarters confirm the eligibility of the selected candidate, traineeships could be postponed, suspended or even cancelled considering the very evolving context of the COVID-19 outbreak in the host country.