Directorate for Regional Development, Agriculture and Fisheries - Policy Department

The Directorate-General for Cohesion, Agriculture and Social Policies (DG CASP) enables parliamentary committees to carry out their legislative, scrutiny and budgetary functions effectively. Trust, integrity and excellence are the driving values of DG CASP. We are an inclusive and agile team, able to respond to the challenges facing Parliament as one of the EU co-legislators.

The core responsibility of DG CASP is to support the committees dealing with regional development, agriculture, rural development, fisheries, transport, tourism, employment, social affairs and housing crisis in the EU. The targeted service we deliver allows committees to better respond to EU priorities and contribute to policies designed to empower EU citizens in an increasingly volatile world. DG CASP provides committees with secretariats and reliable research analysis. Secretariats offer policy expertise, procedural assistance and the necessary technical tools for all committee activities, including legislative and non-legislative work, meetings, public hearings, workshops and missions.

The Policy Department for Regional Development, Agriculture and Fisheries provides the parliamentary bodies, especially the Parliamentary Committees responsible for the three aforementioned EU policy fields, with expertise, research and policy advice tailored to their specific needs.

The Policy Department sector responsible for the Committee on Fisheries (PECH) provides the PECH Committee with expertise and policy advice, to support its activities, based on analyses carried out either in-house or externally It furnishes independent, specialised, objective, high-quality and up-to-date information on all aspects of the common fisheries policy (CFP), including fishery resource conservation, the fishery and aquaculture product market, the EU funding dedicated to the sector, the blue economy and the EU international fisheries relations.

Examples of our work can be seen on our unit blog.

The Policy Department’s horizontal tasks include developing efficient mechanisms to guarantee the highest quality of internal and external research, improving expertise management, and establishing and implementing effective communication strategies with policymakers, stakeholders and academia.

• Conducting background research for studies and briefings requested by the PECH Committee;
• Contributing to the preparation of internal briefings by providing texts, graphics and other assistance;
• Reviewing and editing draft studies, fact sheets on the European Union and other texts;
• Attending meetings and seminars, taking notes and producing reports on proceedings;
• Supporting social media communication, particularly for the PECH sector, including creating content for social media posts (text and visuals);
• Helping to evaluate current work practices to improve the management of evidence-based research for parliamentary bodies;
• Assisting with the development of strategies to enhance the impact of expertise and research for policymakers;
• Assisting in organising workshops and other events related to the work of the Policy Department;
• Other duties (as may be assigned).

• We are looking for a motivated and open-minded university graduate (university degree - level 6 of EQF or higher - obtained at least three months before the starting date of the traineeship) with a profound interest in the Policy Department’s areas of expertise, particularly with regard to fisheries, aquaculture and marine natural resources;
• The successful candidate will be eager to gain an in-depth understanding of political and administrative life in the European Parliament;
• You will be committed to a mentored traineeship which requires a high level of independence and responsibility, critical thinking and judgement;
• You are accurate, reliable, adaptable, versatile and organised;
• You have a clear sense of responsibility and professional conscientiousness as well as a thorough knowledge of spoken and written English;
• You are interested in research, project management and science communication;
• You are keen to contribute to European policymaking as part of a welcoming team that looks forward to involving you actively in its work.

The European Parliament is dedicated to fostering an inclusive and equitable workplace. We welcome all candidates, regardless of their geographical, racial or ethnic origin, political or religious beliefs, age, disability, gender identity, sexual orientation, socioeconomic background, civil status, or family situation.