I started working for the European institutions in 2014, moved around a lot as contract/temporary agent in the Council and the European Commission, before finally joining the Quality of Legislation Directorate (DQL) in 2019 as assistant to lawyer-linguists.

Working in the DQL is quite challenging and interesting at the same time, as we are the final instance before something gets published in the Official Journal of the EU, so we have to be very attentive and have an eye for eventual typos and/or other kinds of mistakes.

The thing about working here that I like a lot is that, although we are in a multicultural environment, in our rather small tandem teams we are in constant touch with our mother-tongue.

Another very important aspect is that, on the one hand, we are not at all micromanaged by the hierarchy, while, on the other hand, managers do take care of their staff's needs by empowering them to get adequate training to guarantee the best possible service.

Lingustic assistant in the Croatian-Slovenian lawyer-linguist tandem team at the Council of the European Union

I joined the European Commission after seven years in a trade union federation, where I organised conferences and worked in administrative support. I started in the Commission’s Directorate-General for Competition; where I was first a case secretary in merger procedures and after six months, I became the secretary to the Director of the Mergers department.

I am currently an assistant for both the Mergers and Antitrust sections of the Directorate-General for Competition. I coordinate administrative tasks, organise events and network with over 500 colleagues in a workplace that is very dynamic and challenging, but also very human and fun!

I am a fundamental rights expert and historian by training. I have been working for the European Commission since 2015, previously as Deputy Coordinator on combating Antisemitism and now as manager for funding programmes on EU values, fundamental rights and European remembrance.

I started my career in DG Education and Culture in the office of the Deputy Director-General. During my 6 years in the European Commission, I have worked in several different departments such as the Youth Policy Unit in DG EAC and the Asylum Policy Unit in DG HOME.

My job is very varied, ranging from presenting EU funding to civil society organisations and ministries, to shaping new funding mechanisms to support the work on combating racism, discrimination and antisemitism, to ensuring close alignment between our policy priorities on equality with the support we can give to stakeholders.

During my graduate degree in Jewish history at the Ludwig-Maximilians University Munich, I spent an academic year as a fellow at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. I also hold a Master’s in European Studies from the College of Europe in Warsaw (Natolin). I am active in the largest pro-European youth movement, the Young European Federalists, formerly as the chair of the Foreign Affairs Committee. I am an alumnus of the American Council on Germany’s Young Leaders’ Conference and contribute to their working group on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion.

“What I love about Brussels is how easy it is to get around. Sure, traffic is still a problem but not compared to major European cities. Public transport is great and there are more and more biking lanes, which make it easy for people to commute to work within the city but also from outside the city. The diversity of places to live from the central trendy areas to the more family friendly residential neighbourhoods and especially the affordability of housing (compared to most European cities) makes it a great place to live. Finally, one of my family’s favourite places to go in the warmer months are the vast array of provincial domains to be found surrounding Brussels, with lots of activities for children and possibilities to swim in lakes.”

“Luxembourg is definitely one of the most welcoming country for foreigners! Welcoming people of 170 nationalities one never feels like a stranger here! If you love nature, and all the activities related to it, then this is the place where you will like to settle for a quiet family life, full of energising experiences! Biking and walking are two of my favourite activities and believe me, exhausting all possibilities is basically impossible :) 

Have a look at:

https://www.visitluxembourg.com/experience-luxembourg/nature-outdoors/cycling,

https://www.komoot.com/guide/547/road-cycling-routes-in-luxemburg,

https://www.alltrails.com/luxembourg/forest”

“To me, one of the best things about Luxembourg is that it is so green. You never have to go far to find your own green spot, whether vineyards, forests or trails in the (small) mountains. My own favorite spots are Vianden with the castle overlooking the town and the river Our and the Mullerthal region also known as “Little Switzerland”, where you will find rocks, forest and beautiful waterfalls.”

Heike began her career in the private sector, working in the tourism and hospitality industry in Brussels and Gothenburg, followed by a role in an international audit firm.

She then moved to the public sector and joined the European Commission in 1996, initially serving in the finance and budget unit of the Directorate-General for Education, Training and Youth. Subsequent assignments included positions in the Directorates-General for External Relations and for Transport & Energy.

In 2003, Heike transitioned to human resources related functions, joining the newly established European Personnel Selection Office (EPSO) as a competition coordinator. She later worked in the HR unit of the Directorate-General for the Internal Market & Services before returning to EPSO in 2013. Since then, she has held several roles within EPSO, from Team Leader for test development, Deputy Head of Unit for e-selection & test development, to her current position as Acting Head of EPSO’s Outreach and Communication unit.

Since 2017, I have been working as a case handler at the European Commission’s competition department, in the team enforcing EU State aid rules for banks in difficulty. I write State aid decisions, conduct complex economic and legal assessments, and coordinate closely with Member State authorities and other EU stakeholders. It is exciting work, involving a delicate balance between protecting financial stability and preventing unfair competition.

Having joined the Commission in 2012, I first worked for five years on the EU’s macroeconomic and budgetary surveillance of one of the largest euro-area countries. Given the public debt crisis then, it was a challenging but also interesting period.

I am trained as an economist and hold a Master’s Degree in Commercial Engineering from the University of Leuven and a postgraduate degree in European Economic Studies from the College of Europe. Before joining the European Commission as an EU official, I worked for two years in strategy consulting, did a blue-book traineeship at the Cabinet of the European Commissioner for Trade, and participated in the Graduate Programme of the European Central Bank.