Nelius, European Commission
“Working for the Quality of Legislation (LEG) team at the Legal Service is to be part of a highly professional and inspiring team.
We constantly seek and find the best way to apply drafting rules to exciting aspects of Union life such as the Covid crisis, rules on chemicals, the environment, health and safety protection, and finance. There is a strong reliance on team discussions to achieve the best approach for new situations – and discussions are invariably collegial and fruitful: no colleague is alone, we find solutions together.
On a daily basis, I feel that my colleagues and I are playing a meaningful, useful and vital role in Union law, and in participating in the project of an ever-closer Union, for citizens and businesses, in all 24 languages.”
Sibila, European Parliament
“I have been working as a lawyer-linguist in the Bulgarian section of the Directorate for Legislative Acts at the European Parliament for almost 10 years. This is my first job within the European institutions, and I continue to value the diverse range of tasks I am involved in.
The core of my work is to revise EU legislative acts that are to be adopted by the Parliament and the Council, ensuring both their legal and linguistic accuracy. My role is to guarantee the highest possible quality of legislative texts while making EU law accessible and understandable across all Member States. This job allows me to work in both English and my native language, which I greatly appreciate. In addition, as a lawyer-linguist, I can contribute to the clarity and precision of EU legislation by advising Members of the European Parliament on legal drafting. Being part of the European Union law making process is highly rewarding and fulfilling.
The variety of tasks and the collaborative environment make the lawyer-linguist job dynamic, interactive, and satisfying. Moreover, my colleagues are multicultural, pleasant and supportive.”
Ivan, Council of the EU
“I’ve been working as a lawyer-linguist at the Council of the EU for three years. In this role, we revise all EU legal acts that are to be adopted by the Council of the EU and the European Council, ensuring legal and linguistic consistency across all language versions. This allows me to combine my legal expertise with my passion for languages. I’m proud to contribute to the EU legislative process and to collaborate with fellow lawyers and assistants from nearly every Member State. There is a strong sense of community among us, and the atmosphere is always welcoming and supportive.”
Matija, Council of the EU
“At the Legal Service of the General Secretariat of the Council, I have the opportunity to collaborate closely with colleagues from all EU Member States, working in all EU languages, and contributing to the quality of EU legislation.
As a lawyer-linguist, I especially enjoy working as a quality advisor and ʻchef de fileʼ, overseeing a team of lawyers and other administrators within the Council and from other institutions to legally and linguistically finalise the base language (English) version of legislative files. In these roles, strong coordination and leadership qualities are essential to completing all tasks within tight deadlines.”
Barry, European Parliament
Working as a lawyer-linguist at the Directorate of Legislative Acts in the European Parliament allows me to use my languages and legal expertise to play a vital role in the democratic process of the Union.
One of the most rewarding aspects of my job is advising Members of the European Parliament on legal drafting, helping to shape the legislation that affects millions of Union citizens. I really feel that I am at the heart of European law making!
The collaborative, multilingual environment makes every day intellectually stimulating, and I take great pride in ensuring that Union law is accessible to all.