Transparency Unit - Post B

As a trainee in the Directorate-General for the Presidency (DG PRES), you will be part of a DG, which has a crucial role in a wide spectrum of the European Parliament's (EP) activities. Our DG is involved in the legislative process from the very beginning, when the legislative initiatives are submitted to the EP, and throughout the process, during which our lawyer linguists ensure the quality of the legislative texts, accompanying members and committees in their work. 

We are in charge of the organisation and documentation of the plenary sessions, and also deal with the relations with other EU institutions and national parliaments. Furthermore, our DG provides services to the members, regarding both administrative matters and their political activity, such as parliamentary questions to the other institutions.

We are also at the service of citizens and the public, dealing with public access to documents and relations with interest representatives, and are responsible for the official mail of the President and the Secretary General. The EP's protocol service, dealing with, among other things, the reception of visiting dignitaries and delegations and the preparation of visits outside Parliament by the President and the main EP bodies, is also part of our DG.

The Transparency Unit in the Directorate-General for the Presidency implements Parliament’s transparency policy as regards the Institution’s relations with interest representatives as well as public access to its documents under Regulation (EC) No 1049/2001.

Public Access to the Documents of the European Parliament - A Balancing Act

The right of access to documents, which derives from the transparency principle, is an important tool to increase citizens’ participation as well as institutional accountability and efficiency.

The team of the Transparency Unit responsible for public access to documents ensures the end-to-end handling of applications. We are the first point of contact for any citizen, journalist, academic or else, seeking access to yet unpublished documents of the European Parliament. We assess every application and requested document. After having coordinated and drafted the responses to applicants, the team also ensures the publication of the documents to be disclosed.

If you join the Public Access to Documents team, you will help to:

• Handle applications for public access to documents: consult Parliament’s internal services or other institutions with a view to identifying requested material, assess potential disclosure to the public in light of Regulation (EC) No 1049/2001 and draft replies to applicants;
• Research national policies on access to documents or information and provide comparative studies;
• Monitor the case law of the Court of Justice of the European Union and report on cases relevant to the team’s work;
• Raise awareness of Parliament’s policy on public access to documents.

You nurture an interest in the workings of the EU public administration. You are a team player. You are keen on honing your drafting skills and you have a legal mind or background. Working with the Transparency Unit’s Public Access to Documents team might then be something for you. We look for someone with:

• Excellent communication skills (oral and written);
• Fluency in English and good knowledge of at least one other EU official language;
• Demonstrated research and analytical skills;
• Reliability and discretion;
• Working knowledge of MS Outlook, Word, PowerPoint and Excel;
• A good understanding of the European institutions and policies.

Specific knowledge of transparency policy is not a requirement.