EU Traineeship Talks Resume After Months-Long Pause
Member State experts returned to discussions on the quality traineeships directive ahead of a scheduled trilogue meeting.
Updated on Nov. 4, 2026 in Internships
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Member State experts resumed discussions on the directive on quality traineeships on 4 November, after the last talks took place in February. A trilogue meeting is scheduled for 16 November.
Why it matters
The Council and Parliament hold sharply different mandates on which traineeships the directive should cover. The Irish Presidency has asked Member States to identify possible grounds for agreement.
The Council's mandate excludes traineeships within national education and training frameworks and under active labour market policies, while the Parliament's mandate covers nearly all of those excluded categories. The Irish Presidency has asked Member States whether mandatory professional traineeships and active labour market policy traineeships could be included.
The players
Irish Presidency of the Council of the EU
Ireland holds the rotating Council Presidency and is leading the current round of talks on the traineeships directive.
European Parliament
The directive's co-legislator, whose negotiating mandate covers nearly all types of traineeships.
The details
Trilogue meetings on the directive have been repeatedly postponed. The Irish Presidency circulated a note to Member States on 28 October asking them to identify grounds for agreement, and the 16 November meeting is not expected to be the final trilogue.
Timeline
February: last talks on the directive took place.
28 October: Irish Presidency circulated its note to Member States.
4 November: Member State experts resumed discussions.
16 November: next trilogue meeting is scheduled.
Big Picture
The directive is moving through the ordinary legislative procedure, where trilogue talks between the Council and Parliament have repeatedly stalled over the scope of coverage. The Council's narrower open-labour-market mandate sits against the Parliament's broader one, leaving the outcome dependent on whether common ground can be found.
If the directive is adopted, trainees across the EU could gain clearer quality standards depending on how the scope is settled. Until a deal is reached, the rules governing traineeships remain unchanged.
The takeaway
Agreement on the traineeships directive depends on whether Member States can bridge the gap between the Council's narrower scope and the Parliament's broader one. Readers should watch the outcome of the 16 November trilogue for signs of a compromise.
What happens next
A trilogue meeting on the directive on quality traineeships is scheduled for 16 November.
Further reading
For related coverage, see Internships on the wider job-market context for trainees.
More information
Read the Irish Presidency note on traineeships directive for the grounds the Presidency asked Member States to identify.
Source note: This article includes information reported by Agence Europe.
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