Get involved in European policy making

Want to get involved in European policy making? There are a number of ways of doing just that:

Join the European debate

Speak directly to EU politicians about your rights, the kind of Europe you want to live in, and your expectations for the European Union

• European Citizens' Initiative
• Public consultations
• Petitions to the European Parliament
• Transparency Register
• Formal complaints

European Citizens' Initiative

Ask the European Commission to propose legislation on an issue you care about – through an ECI. To show it has widespread support, your initiative will need to be signed by a million EU citizens, from at least a quarter of EU member countries (7 out of the 28).

• More about the European citizens' initiative
• Find out how the European Commission works

Public consultations

When the Commission starts working on a new policy initiative or revises existing legislation, it usually opens a public consultation.

Individuals, businesses and other organisations with an interest in or expert knowledge on a given topic can help shape the Commission's draft proposal before it goes to the Council and European Parliament for discussion and adoption.

• See all public consultations (Your Voice in Europe)
• Learn more about public consultations
• SINAPSE e-communities - linking expertise and European policy making
• European Commission and civil society:  consultations by policy area

Petitions to the European Parliament

EU citizens and residents, as well as companies and other organisations headquartered in the EU may petition Parliament on issues related to EU policy that affect them directly.

• Learn more about petitions to the European Parliament
• Find out how the European Parliament works
• Contact your Member of the European Parliament

Transparency Register

Organisations and self-employed individuals can demonstrate their commitment to "playing by the rules" when lobbying the EU by appearing in the joint Parliament and Commission Transparency Register.

• Learn more about the Transparency Register

Formal complaints

You can:

• complain to the European Commission – if you think a particular EU country is not implementing EU law correctly.
• complain to the European Ombudsman – if you think an EU institution hasacted illegally or made an administrative error.
• report fraud with EU funding/by EU staff to the European Anti-Fraud Office (OLAF).
• contact Europe Direct if in doubt about the best way to complain.

Work for the EU

The EU institutions employ over 40 000 men and women from the 28 EU member countries. The European Personnel Selection Office (EPSO) organises 'open competitions' to select personnel for permanent and non permanent positions. Besides permanent staff, the EU also employs contractual agents and temporary staff, offers traineeships and maintains databases of area experts.

The European Personnel Selection Office (EPSO) is the first port of call for anyone wanting to work for the EU. Its website explains the selection process and gives advice on preparing for competitions.

Recruitment of permanent 

Recruitment of permanent staff

EPSO organises 'open competitions' to select permanent staff. Competitions measure candidates' skills through a series of tests and assessments, ensuring the very best people are selected. Each year there are competitions for administrators, linguists, interpreters, translators, secretaries and other staff categories.
EPSO recruits staff for all the EU institutions:

• European Commission – based in Brussels (Belgium) and Luxembourg. The Commission is the largest employer among the EU institutions, with staff in Europe and offices around the world. A number of specialised posts are available, for example for people with a background in science, languages orstatistics/economics.
• European Parliament – based in Brussels, Luxembourg and Strasbourg (France)
• Council of the EU – based in Brussels
• European Court of Justice – based in Luxembourg
• Court of Auditors – based in Luxembourg
• European Economic and Social Committee – based in Brussels
• Committee of the Regions – based in Brussels
• European Ombudsman – based in Strasbourg
• European Data Protection Supervisor – based in Brussels.

Whichever institution you are interested in, the selection procedure and type of contract are the same.
Permanent officials are divided into administrators and assistants.

Administrators (AD)

Administrators are typically involved in drafting policies and monitoring the implementation of EU law, analysing and advising. In general, to apply for an administrator competition, you must have completed (at least) three years of university.

Assistants (AST)

Assistants usually work in supporting roles and are crucial for the internal management of the institutions. In general, to apply for an assistant competition, you must have completed (at least) secondary school.

Other selection and recruitment procedures

Contract staff

Contract staff are hired for specific manual or administrative tasks. Contracts are generally for a limited period – usually starting with 6-12 months.

Temporary staff

Temporary staff are recruited for specialised or temporary tasks with contracts of up to six years. Vacancies can be found on EPSO's website and on the websites of individual institutions and agencies.

Interim staff

Some institutions also take on local interim staff for up to six months – mainly for secretarial work. In this case recruitment is done by temping agencies.

Traineeships

Seven institutions also take on trainees for three to five months. Known asstagiaires, the trainees can be students, university graduates or linguists, and are given tasks similar to those of lower-grade administrators. Selection is organised by the institutions (not by EPSO).

Contracting services

For specific tasks (maintenance, canteens, etc.), staff are recruited via outside contractors selected through open tender procedures. See the contracting services websites for more information.

Seconded national experts (SNEs)

These are normally public-sector employees in their home country, seconded for a fixed period to an EU institution to share their expertise and learn about EU policies and procedures. National experts are selected through a specific procedure, which does not involve EPSO. Your country's permanent representation to the EU can inform you about current opportunities.

EU experts

The EU maintains databases with the names and qualifications of independent experts who can assist the institutions and agencies in specific areas. Experts create and maintain their own password-protected profile with information on work experience, education and skills. These databases are maintained by individual institutions and agencies (not EPSO). The Community Research and Development Information Service (CORDIS), for example, hosts a database of experts working under the 7th Framework Programme for EU research.

Member states of the EU

• Member states of the EU 
  (year of entry)
• Austria (1995)
• Belgium (1952)
• Bulgaria (2007)
• Croatia (2013)
• Cyprus (2004)
• Czech Republic (2004)
• Denmark (1973)
• Estonia (2004)
• Finland (1995)
• France (1952)
• Germany (1952)
• Greece (1981)
• Hungary (2004)
• Ireland (1973)
• Italy (1952)
• Latvia (2004)
• Lithuania (2004)
• Luxembourg (1952)
• Malta (2004)
• Netherlands (1952)
• Poland (2004)
• Portugal (1986)
• Romania (2007)
• Slovakia (2004)
• Slovenia (2004)
• Spain (1986)
• Sweden (1995)
• United Kingdom (1973)