A ‘Blue Book trainee’ is a participant in the European Commission traineeship programme. The programme got its name from the “blue book” in which pre-selected candidates’ names were listed in the pre-internet age.

Blue book traineeship starts each year either on March 1 or October 1 and lasts for five months. Applications must be submitted 7 months before each traineeship cycle (in August for the March cycle and in January for the October cycle).

Trainees receive a monthly grant (stipend) and reimbursement of travel expenses at the start and end of the traineeship. In 2022 the monthly grant for Blue Book trainees is EUR 1’252.68. On average, the European Commission offers 1800 traineeship positions annually.

Most other EU institutions also offer traineeships that are usually managed by each institution directly.