Trainee (Traineeship at the Legal Department of EMA)

Selection procedure reference: EMA/TR/11126 

Deadline for applications: 30 September 2025 23:59 CET 

The European Medicines Agency (EMA) is a decentralised agency of the European Union (EU), located in Amsterdam. It began operating in 1995. It is responsible for the scientific evaluation, supervision and safety monitoring of medicines in the EU.

This traineeship opportunity is now open for applications until 30 September 2025 23:59 CET, with an intake on 1 March 2026.

About the traineeship programme

The Agency is looking for motivated, qualified recent graduates or students on an Erasmus+ or other programme or PhD students or Master's students (who posses a previous degree), who are interested in gaining experience and contribute to the Agency’s work for every patient in Europe. The purpose of a traineeship at the Agency is to perform tasks that are predominantly in the interest of the trainee’s training and principally serve to increase the trainee’s knowledge and to gain relevant experience.

Placement description

We are looking for a trainee in the Legal Department within the Advisory Functions Division.

Specific objectives and projects

The selected trainee will provide support on some of the currently ongoing projects relevant to their experience, which could range from the new pharma legislation ("NPL") to the handling of requests for access to documents, while also providing operational support across different services, such as enquiries from the European Ombudsman and litigation activities.

For the entire lenght of the traineeship, the selected trainee will be assisting Legal Administrators in various forms, such as attending relevant meetings together, writing reports on legal matters, researching relevant case-law, etc.

The traineeship offers an holistic approach to the activities of the Legal Department, supporting its three offices - Pharma Law Office, Litigation Office, General Affairs and Anti-Fraud Office - in delivering legal assistance to the Agency and to the relevant network.

Learning outcomes

Through this traineeship, the trainee will :

• Increase knowledge of the legal framework and provision of legal advice relevant to the Agency, as well as research methodologies in areas of law applicable to its operations.
• Develop understanding of the Agency's procedures and internal stakeholder communication within EMA's areas of competence.
• Contribute to the Agency's objectives by sharing their academic expertise and unique perspective.

Eligibility criteria

To be eligible for consideration for this placement, you are required to:

1. enjoy full rights as a citizen of a European Union Member State or Iceland, Lichtenstein and Norway;
2. possess a university degree in Law (minimum of three years or more) that must have been obtained between 30 September 2024 and 30 September 2025 or be a university student on an Erasmus + or a similar programme or a PhD student or a Master's student with a previous fully finished degree in the areas mentioned before.
3. a thorough knowledge of English (at least level C1) and good knowledge of other official EU language (at least B2) of the Common European Framework for Languages

For criteria 1 and 2, you will be required to provide proof in the application form and at the interview stage. Failing to present these documents may result in the disqualification from the procedure.

Additional skills

In addition to the eligibility criteria, you will have:

• Knowledge of the EU law/EU pharmaceutical law obtained in the course of university studies/traineeship/working experience;
• Skills in writing official documents in English.

Behavioural Competencies

You will demonstrate the following behavioural competencies:

• Communication skills
• Interpersonal skills
• Working with others
• Adaptability
• Research and analytical skills
• Learning and development

Conditions of traineeship

The traineeship is offered for 10 months (1 March 2026 – 31 December 2026) and takes place at the Agency’s premises in Amsterdam with possibility for teleworking up to 40% of working time from The Netherlands and occasional teleworking from outside The Netherlands. Traineeships are offered for either full-time or part-time (80% or 50%) if combined with university studies.

The Agency pays a monthly stipend of €1,963.93 for a full-time traineeship (reduced accordingly for 80% or 50%) and a travel contribution upon joining the Agency.

Each trainee will have a mentor at the Agency who will guide the trainee through the programme.

The conditions of employment are stated in the Executive Decision on rules governing the traineeship programme at the EMA available here.

Expected selection timelines

______________________________________________________________________________________________________

Domenico Scarlattilaan 6 - 1083 HS Amsterdam - The Netherlands

Telephone +31 (0)88 781 6000 - Email recruitment@ema.europa.eu

© European Medicines Agency, 2024. Reproduction is authorised provided the source is acknowledged.