Secretariat of the Subcommittee on Security and Defence - Post C

The Directorate-General for External Policies is made up of four directorates: Committees, Regions (covering interparliamentary delegations), Resources and Democracy Support. 

Staff of DG EXPO form a European team of advisers supporting the European Parliament's President and political bodies in their work on the EU's external policies. Colleagues in DG EXPO provide advice on matters of substance and procedure, liaise with other EU institutions and manage resources. The focus is on legislation, parliamentary oversight of the European Commission and EEAS, and support for parliamentary democracy. Most of the work is done in Brussels.

The Subcommittee on Security and Defence (SEDE) is working in a particular policy field, currently subject to considerable change driven by the highest political level. It is the EU body responsible for the parliamentary scrutiny of the Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP). SEDE also deals with wider developments in the area of security and defence that have an impact on the EU, its Member States and citizens, as well as on specific sectors (e.g. industry, research).

In this context, the SEDE Secretariat prepares and supports the parliamentary activities of the Subcommittee as well as those of D-NAT, the European Parliament’s Delegation to the NATO Parliamentary Assembly. It organises meetings, hearings and missions, prepares briefing notes and background papers for the Chair and other Members, provides policy advice, and works closely together with other services within DG EXPO and other DGs. The SEDE Secretariat also maintains close relations with other EU bodies, such as the European External Action Service, the Council, the European Commission and the European Defence Agency, and external actors, such as the UN, NATO, NGOs, think tanks, as well as the diplomatic representations of third countries.

Trainees will gain first-hand experience of all aspects of parliamentary and political processes at EU level relevant to the Committee and will be able to contribute actively to all aspects of the SEDE Secretariat's work. This will include contributions to committee meetings and missions, workshops, hearings, briefings and background notes as well as the monitoring and analysis of specific aspects of EU defence and security policy. In the course of the traineeship the trainees will receive guidance and advice from an experienced administrator.

Trainees at SEDE Secretariat should be committed, flexible, with sound political judgement and analytical skills, total team orientation and openness to new challenges. They must have a very good understanding of international relations, the EU and the Common Security and Defence Policy. In particular they should be able to demonstrate a particular interest in defence and security matters in general.

Trainees should also have an excellent command of English, both oral and written. A very good knowledge of French and another of the EU's languages constitutes an advantage.