26/03/2019
European Parliament bans unpaid internships from July
Yesterday the Bureau of the European Parliament adopted new rules on internships, effectively banning unpaid internships in MEP offices from July. This decision is a victory for campaigners on interns’ rights. The Youth Intergroup in the European Parliament has long been calling for fair internships. According to a survey today 1/4 interns in MEP offices in the European Parliament is paid less than € 600 and 8% are unpaid.
The Bureau of the European Parliament has adopted new rules regarding trainees in MEP offices, following up on key principles adopted last July. In the future trainees will be hired directly by the European Parliament, will have their health insurance covered and will be remunerated between €800 and €1313 per month, drastically improving the current conditions of interns in the European Parliament. Both graduates and students will have the possibility to undertake internships with MEP’s for a period of 6 weeks to 5 months, with a maximum prolongation to 9 months. In addition MEP's can offer study visits for a maximum duration of 6 weeks and offer internships in their home country following national legislation. These new rules will enter into force with the start of the new mandate in July.
Two years ago, the Youth Intergroup released the results of a survey it undertook with interns in MEP offices and political groups. It brought to the surface a significant problem with low quality internships offered in the European Parliament. They launched a campaign to change the Parliaments’ internal rules. MEP Tomas Zdechovsky, co-chair of the Youth Intergroup: ‘We have been working hard to get the issue on the agenda of the Bureau and are happy to see that a decision has been taken before the end of the mandate. We hope that other European institutions will now follow swiftly.’
MEP Brando Benifei, co-chair of the Youth Intergroup, states that: ‘This decision is in line with our demands that were supported by over 140 MEP’s. The European Parliament will finally start leading by example. We will continue working to improve the situation for all young people. Too many are caught in a spiral of internships and other non-standard forms of work. More work needs to be done. Companies and national governments should step up their game to ensure quality internships. At European level, the European Commission should evaluate the impact of the 'Quality Framework on Traineeships' and take further steps to have it implemented.'’
