#FairInternships: MEPs call on President Tajani to ban unpaid internships

Today (2 May) MEPs of The Youth Intergroup in the European Parliament held a visibility demonstration (pictured) to call on President Tajani to live up to his promises to improve the situation of interns in the European Parliament.

1/4 of the interns in MEP offices in the European Parliament are paid less than €600. One year 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 that there remains a significant problem with low quality internships offered in the European Parliament, creating a real risk for exploitation of young people.

MEP Brando Benifei, co-chair of the Youth Intergroup, said: "In accessing the labour market young people are more and more caught up in a spiral of internships and other non-standard forms of work. We should continue working to improve this situation for all young people, but should not ignore the young people in our own house. The European Parliament should lead by example!"

More than 140 MEPs have signed the ‘Manifesto for Fair Internships’ that calls for quality internships for all young people and for the EU institutions to take action. This manifesto together with specific demands on how to improve the situation of interns was sent to President Tajani in June last year. In a response in October, Tajani promised to look into the issue and present the outcomes to the Bureau of the European Parliament.

Benifeisaid: "That was the last we have heard of President Tajani. We know that a majority of the Bureau is willing to change the rules, but we need the topic to be put on the agenda by the President. Time is running out if we want to get results before the end of the mandate. We therefore ask to have the situation of the interns discussed at the next Bureau meeting."

The European Parliament is however not the only European institution that should deal with the conditions of its interns. The Youth Intergroup, together with intern activists, has also been looking into the practice of ‘atypical trainees’ at the European Commission. In June 2017 there were 218 of these unpaid trainees outside of the official Blue Book traineeship schedule, working at the European Commission.

"The Commission does not pay them because these traineeships are offered primarily in their interest and not in that of the departments which host them," is the explanation offered by the Commission in its answer to a written question on the matter.

According to Benifei: "The defence of the Commission is unacceptable. Young people’s due remuneration for the work they produce cannot be replaced by ‘experience or reputation.

"The Commission should draw up urgently a single reference framework to ensure the transparency of the hiring process, put in place strict conditions for the categories of people that can do such a traineeship and ensure remuneration."

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