The Ombudsman offers traineeships, twice a year, primarily to university law graduates. The traineeships take place either in Strasbourg or in Brussels according to the needs of the Office. They start on 1 September and 1 January each year.
Traineeships are intended to enable the trainees to gain, in addition to the knowledge and skills they have acquired during their studies, a practical experience of the work of the European Ombudsman.
Trainees normally undertake either the investigation of complaints, or carry out research relevant to the work of the Ombudsman. They work under the direct supervision of a Legal Officer.
The applicant should normally:
The Ombudsman can derogate from these conditions if exceptional circumstances so determine.
The traineeship has a minimum duration of four months. It can be extended for a period left to the Ombudsman's discretion normally up to a maximum of 12 months.
Personal data concerning unsuccessful applicants shall be destroyed six months after the beginning of the traineeship period for which it was collected. Applications handed in for a given traineeship period shall not be taken into consideration for future selections of trainees or for recruitment purposes.
Personal data concerning successful applicants shall be kept by the Ombudsman's office and might be transferred to other Community Institutions for administrative purposes.
The list of the names of trainees serving and having served in the Ombudsman's office is a public document.
Scholarships
Trainees who do not receive a salary or other form of financial support receive a scholarship during the traineeship period.
The amount of a scholarship is 25% of the basic salary of staff on grade AD 6 (A*6 until 30 April 2006) step 1, plus the household allowance, where appropriate. This amount may be altered by decision of the European Ombudsman.
The level of financial support for trainees receiving external support will be determined on an individual basis. It will not normally exceed the difference, if any, between the amount of external support and the value of a scholarship.
Travel expenses incurred at the beginning and end of the traineeship
Trainees who are not entitled to claim travel expenses from any other source may claim reimbursement of the cost of travel within the territory of the European Union between their place of residence and Strasbourg/Brussels at the beginning and end of the traineeship, as follows:
Possible reservations of transport tickets at the start and/or the end of the traineeship are made by the European Ombudsman's office. All other forms of reservations must be submitted to the Ombudsman's services for prior approval.
Travel expenses incurred during the traineeship
Trainees whom the Ombudsman requires to undertake a mission shall be entitled to reimbursement of their travel expenses (Article 12 of Annex VII of the Staff Regulations). They shall receive daily mission allowances which correspond to those laid down for group III in Article 13 (1) (a) of Annex VII to the Staff Regulations.
Trainees must be insured against sickness and accident by an insurance policy taken out for that purpose by the European Parliament with a private insurance company. The European Ombudsman pays the full costs of insurance.
At the request of the trainee, the European Parliament shall also insure his or her spouse and children against the risk of sickness and accident. In such cases, the trainee shall pay the insurance premiums in full.
Trainees are entitled to two working days' leave for each month of the traineeship.
If absent as a result of sickness, the trainees must notify the Ombudsman's office immediately. Absences must be justified by a medical certificate.
In exceptional circumstances, trainees may address to the Head of the Administration and Finance Department applications for authorisation to be absent from work. Such applications may in particular be examined in the light of the special leave provisions applicable to the Ombudsman's officials. If an authorisation is granted, the procedures applicable to officials shall be applied by analogy.
Requests for suspension of a traineeship or for leave of absence will be granted in exceptional circumstances only, and in accordance with the interests of the service. The Ombudsman's decision is discretionary. During a period of suspension of a traineeship, scholarship payments will be suspended. Neither leave of absence nor suspension shall entitle the trainee to reimbursement of travel expenses under Article 6 above.
The Ombudsman may terminate the traineeship at any stage at the request of the trainee, or in cases in which performance is deemed to be unsatisfactory or in which the trainee has failed to observe the terms of the traineeship.
The awarding of a traineeship shall under no circumstances confer on recipients the status of official or other servant of the European Union, nor shall it entitle them in any way to subsequent recruitment to any EU institution.
This decision shall enter into force on 1 January 2007. It replaces the decision governing traineeships dated 16 June 2005.
Strasbourg, 20 November 2006
P. Nikiforos DIAMANDOUROS
(1) A financial declaration can be hand-written and signed by candidates declaring, on their honour, "that they will not receive any external financial support during the period of an eventual traineeship" or the amount of the external financial support that they would receive, should that be the case.
(2) Regulation (EC) No 45/2001 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 18 December 2000 on the protection of individuals with regard to the processing of personal data by the Community institutions and bodies and on the free movement of such data (Official Journal L 8/1, 12/01/2001).
