Funded traineeships for young graduates at the EU Delegation to Serbia, Belgrade

26.04.2024 Expiring soon Teaser The deadline for submitting applications is 26/05/2024.

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 Serbia?

Text We offer:
Traineeships of up to 6 months within the following sections of the EU Delegation to Serbia, starting in (indicatively) POLITICAL Section: 1 November 2024; IPM Unit: 25 November 2024; OPS 3, COOP and EIE Section: 1 October 2024:

• Traineeship in the Political Section (POL):

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 seven people.

Main tasks (under supervision of the Supervisor):

• 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.;
• Preparing presentations on political and legal topics;
• Filling in for ad hoc requests;
• Compiling and contributing to briefings and reports;
• Creating contact lists, mailing lists and keeping them up to date.

Qualifications or special requirements:

• 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.

• Traineeship in the European Integration and Economic Section (EIE):

The European Integration and Economic Section deals with the EU accession process and economic and trade issues. The main tasks include following implementation of the Stabilisation and Association Agreement, negotiation process in particular economic criteria and related acquis chapters, contribution to the European Commission’s Annual Serbia Report to the Economic Reform Programme and the New Growth Plan for the Western Balkans, macro-economic analyses, fiscal developments, trade, foreign investments including monitoring of third country actors, regional economic integration – Common Regional Market.

Main tasks (under supervision of the Supervisor):

• Support to the work of the European Integration and Economic Section team;
• Following developments in all areas relevant for the section, researching and compiling documentation, drafting reports and analysis, preparing briefings and answering queries;
• Organising, attending and reporting from relevant events (conferences, meetings, round tables).

Qualifications or special requirements:

• Minimum Bachelor degree, preferably in law, economics, political science or European studies;
• Sound drafting, analytical and communication skills;
• Fluency in English and Serbian language.

• Traineeship in the Cooperation section (COOP):

The Horizontal Programming and Coordination team (OPS COORDINATION) is overseeing and coordinating financial cooperation by the EU Delegation to Serbia. Main responsibilities are:

Strategic planning and programming of IPA funds for Serbia, including support for sector planning, IPA programming, financing decisions and amendments, ATA funds, unallocated envelope, sector budget support; indirect management of EU funds by the beneficiary country, including conferral of management and entrustment, implementation and monitoring of IPA / evaluation and audits; support for coordination with development partners and EU Member State coordination; project management / coordination of horizontal programmes, twinning, TAIEX and responsibilities for political reporting, SAA and annual report contributions as follows: Chapter 22 – Regional policy and coordination of structural instruments; Chapter 23 - Judiciary & Fundamental Rights (fight against corruption); Chapter 27 – Environment (medical waste); and Chapter 28 – Consumer and Health Protection (public health).

Main tasks (under supervision of the Supervisor):

• Support activities related to programming of EU financial assistance to Serbia by providing required inputs for the design and development of the programmes;
• Contribute to activities pertaining monitoring and evaluation of ongoing projects, ensuring that they align with established objectives and standards;
• Support activities related to the planning of Twinning projects, Technical Assistance and Information Exchange Instrument (Taiex) initiatives;
• Support the addressing of cross cutting issues such as gender equality, environmental sustainability, and human rights in financial assistance;
• Assist in activities engaging with civil society organizations and promoting their involvement in EU funded or EU led initiatives;
• Contribute to activities fostering cooperation with international partners;
• Conduct research, analyse data, and prepare reports on relevant issues to support decision-making;
• Handle relevant administrative duties related to the coordination of events and meetings.

Qualifications or special requirements:

• Educational Background: A bachelor's or master's degree in a relevant field such as international relations, political science, economics, development studies, or a related discipline.
• Language Skills: Proficiency in English is a requirement, and knowledge of other EU languages or languages relevant to the region can be beneficial.
• Communication Skills: Strong written and verbal communication skills are essential (drafting reports, communicating with stakeholders, and participating in meetings).
• Analytical Skills: Ability to analyse complex information, understand policy documents, and synthesize data for reporting.
• Interpersonal Skills: Interns should be able to work collaboratively with diverse teams and establish effective working relationships with internal and external stakeholders.

• Traineeship in the Information, Press and Media Unit - Political Section (IPM):

The Press and Information team is responsible for Communication, Information and Media sectors, visibility events or media reporting. It supports and monitors work of three Info centres (future Europe Houses) in Serbia: in Belgrade, Novi Sad and Niš.

Main tasks (under supervision of the Supervisor):

• Contributing to the work of the Information, Communication and Media Section;
• at the EU Delegation to Serbia and cooperation with the EU Information Centres in Belgrade, Niš and Novi Sad;
• Contributing to organising events, and other communication activities, including preparing briefings, speeches and Press Releases as well as background documents;
• Analysing impact of conducted communication and media activities and preparing reports on them for dispatch to EU headquarters in Brussels under a press and information colleague supervision;
• Contributing to reports on media freedom;
• Liaising with EU-funded projects and assist in planning events and other communication activities as appropriate;
• Contribute to the social media networks of the EU Delegation;
• Media monitoring;
• Supporting the team in any other ad hoc and urgent requests for the section;
• The trainee may also be requested to contribute to the work of other sections of the EU Delegation.

Qualifications or special requirements:

• Minimum Bachelor degree, preferably in political science, journalism, marketing, EU affairs or law;
• Sound drafting and communication skills; experience in communication and media would be an advantage;
• Fluency in English and Serbian language, both written and spoken; competencies in other EU languages would be assets;
• Ability and willingness to work in an international environment;
• Computer literate with practical experience in Microsoft packages, as well as experience in social media;
• Initiative, flexibility, good organisational skills and a team player is an advantage.

• Traineeship in Operations 3 Section (OPS 3):

The Operations 3 section is responsible for the areas of environment, climate change, energy, transport, and agriculture and food safety. Work focuses on policy dialogue, monitoring of policy developments, identification and formulation of projects, management and monitoring of projects, coordination with national and international stakeholders, communication and public diplomacy etc. The intern will support the work of the section and report to the Head of section.

Main tasks (under supervision of the Supervisor) :

• Supporting work of the Operations 3 Section in the areas of environment, climate change, energy, transport, agriculture and food safety;
• Researching and compiling documentation, drafting reports and analysis, preparing briefings and answering queries related to the work of the Section;
• Follow the work of the Section on specific areas or projects as required;
• Organising, attending and reporting from relevant events (conferences, meetings, round tables);
• Provide support to Section colleagues with daily tasks.

Qualifications or special requirements:
Minimum Bachelor degree, preferably with expertise in the environment, climate change, energy, transport or agriculture sectors;

Excellent writing and communication skills;

Fluency in English. Fluency in Serbian language will be considered as an asset;

Good understanding of at least one of the Operations 3 sectors in Serbia, including policies and priorities under the corresponding acquis Chapters.

How to apply?
Candidates must apply to the e-mail address [email protected] and send the following documents:

• A detailed standard Europass curriculum vitae (CV) https://europa.eu/europass/en (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 - Name/Acronym of the 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 travels, 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 candidates are not able to present the required documents, their application will be rejected.

The traineeships can only be offered in compliance with the local legislation as well as the legislation of the country of origin.
Citizens from EU Member states:

• must provide proof that they will be covered against the risk of a pandemic and the costs of repatriation;
• must hold a relevant entrance visa and / or temporary residence permit where applicable, based on the traineeship agreement, the duration of the traineeship, and in compliance with the local legislation.