Court of Justice of the EU

Judges and prosecutors from EU member states have the opportunity to apply for a long-term training period at the Court of Justice of the European Union in Luxembourg. These exchanges enable a full immersion into the daily work of the Court and its members.
Trainees will be affiliated to the cabinet of a judge, an advocate general, or the Directorate for Research and Documentation (DRD) and work on current cases as a temporary member of the team. Both members of the Court of Justice as well as the General Court frequently host EJTN-trainees as well-integrated temporary members of their teams.

Applicants for a long-term exchange at the Court of Justice of the EU must be a judge or a prosecutor, have the authorisation of their hierarchy to participate, and have a proven knowledge of the French language. The latter shall be enough to work on legal matters and draft decisions  and deliberations in French.

The call for applications for long-term training periods is open every year in September and October. Interested potential applicants are most welcome to contact the Exchange Programme Team for further information on the call for applications.

To learn more about the EJTN long-term training periods, watch our informational video here.

Useful documents

European Court of Human Rights

The long-term training period takes place at the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg, France.

Participants will normally be integrated in one of the case-processing Units of the Court’s Registry and mainly deal with individual applications, in English or French, from their country of origin. Under the supervision of the Head of Unit, they will more particularly:

• examine and deal with applications in accordance with the Court procedures and internal guidelines
• applications dealt with include in particular prima facie inadmissible cases and cases which can be dealt with in a standard manner
• draft decisions, minutes, reports, notes and other documents
• maintain correspondence with applicants and, where appropriate, with Governments and third parties
• advise applicants on the conditions of admissibility of applications to the Court and provide them with all relevant information
• ensure legal analysis and assist experienced case-lawyers in the preparation of Chamber cases for examination by the Court and in the drafting of Chamber judgments and decisions
• attend the Court’s sessions
• undertake studies and research relating to the Court’s case-law and domestic law as well as comparative and international law

The long-term training at the European Court of Human Rights has a duration of 12 months, from 1 September to 31 August. Candidates must:

• be a judge (either ordinary or administrative) or a prosecutor
• have about 5 to 10 years’ work experience
• have a thorough command of English or French (ability to draft decisions in one of these languages)

In addition, one candidate can be allocated to the Department of the European Social Charter and Secretariat of the European Committee of Social Rights.

The participant allocated to the Department of the European Social Charter and Secretariat of the European Committee of Social Rights will contribute to collective complaints and reporting work depending on competence and experience. Priority will be given to candidates with judicial experience in the fields of labour and employment law, social security and health, child and family protection or other aspects of social rights falling within the scope of the Charter and the purview of the European Committee of Social Rights.

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Eurojust

The long-term training periods will take place in the Eurojust headquarters in The Hague, The Netherlands. Participants will be assigned to the National Desk of their Member State in order to be actively involved in its daily work, in particular in operational work dealing with operational cases and/or project under the supervision of the National Member. They may also be involved in other Eurojust activities (College plenary meetings, strategic meetings, coordination meetings and team meetings).

To apply to a long-term training period at Eurojust, you must be:

• be a practicing prosecutor or investigative judge in an EU Member State
• work at a national level where rogatory letters and other forms of judicial cooperation in criminal matters are dealt with
• have at least three years of practical experience in the field of criminal law

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European Public Prosecutor's Office

Long-term training periods will be implemented at the European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO) in Luxembourg for the first time in 2024. EJTN trainees will be assigned to the Legal Service, the Data Protection Office, or the Operations Unit of EPPO.

Their tasks will vary according to the needs of the area of work. For the trainees selected to join the Operations Unit, they will be assigned to work closely with a European Prosecutor and actively participate in their daily activities. Their primary role will be to support the European Prosecutor in the performance of their operational prerogatives by preparing briefs and legal analyses. A Trainee at the Data Protection Office will specifically work on data protection related issues impacting the operational work of the EPPO. Two places will be opened at the Legal Service of EPPO, where trainees will contribute to the drafting of legal advice related to the EPPO’s legal framework, including its interaction with national criminal law and criminal procedural law.

The call for applications for long-term training periods is open every year in September and October. Interested potential applicants are most welcome to contact the Exchange Programme Team for further information on the call for applications.

Useful documents