Public Inquiries at the Washington Delegation of the European Commission is often the first contact for the American public with the European Union. Within the Press & Public Diplomacy Section, Public Inquiries deals with public requests for information on any and all aspects of the EU and from all sectors of the US—with the exception of the press sector, which is handled separately.

Essentially, the intern, under the supervision and guidance of an information officer, performs the work of an information specialist. This involves learning about EU policy, legislation, organization, procedure and statistics in order for the intern to respond to questions from the US public on all aspects of the EU. The intern works with a great breadth of EU information and sees the daily application of the policies and legislation he or she studied in academia.

Initially, the intern is familiarized with the documentary and electronic resources of the Delegation, which include all the EU’s official publications as well as many secondary source materials. He or she becomes acquainted with the principal issues and topical concerns.

Interns have dealt with public requests running the gamut from simple to complex, from mainstream to extremely esoteric. The intern is encouraged to educate him/herself by reading the relevant press releases, European Commission documents and legislation on the matter, so as to be able to assist the public accordingly. Much information is available through the EU’s various websites. The interns learn how such information is organized, what is available and where it can be found, enabling them to guide the patron towards information resources whose location on the web is not always obvious. Interns deal with members of the US public principally by e-mail.

This internship is offered exclusively on a volunteer, unpaid basis. It is preferred, but not mandatory, that internships follow the semester system. Thus internships are offered in Fall (September – December), Winter/Spring (January – May) and Summer (June – August). Interns are accepted for periods lasting from three to six months and tend to be selected between three to six months in advance of the start of the internship.

Applications for the internship should include the Delegation’s application form, a résumé, a transcript and a cover letter indicating the period for which the applicant is available and whether or not a full-time internship is possible. Only full-time intern candidates (meaning availability Monday through Friday, 9 am – 5 pm) are considered for Public Inquiries. We would also like to know whether the intern candidate has applied to be a stagiaire with the European Commission in Brussels that would cover the same time period as the Washington internship.

Further information on this and other Delegation internships may be accessed through the Washington Delegation’s website.

Completed applications should be sent to:

Tel. (202) 862-9500
Fax (202) 429-1766