This blog post was published under the 2010 to 2015 Conservative and Liberal Democrat coalition government

Avatar photo

David Lidington

Minister for Europe, London

Part of FCDO Outreach

20th March 2012 London, UK

More British nationals in the EU civil service can transform our influence

The UK represents 12% of the EU’s population yet it currently only makes up 4.8% of the EU’s Civil Service workforce. In 2011 British applicants accounted for only 2.6% of all applicants, lower than any other EU Member State.


I believe that a shortage of British staff undermines our influence in the EU. The EU affects each and every one of us.  If we want the EU to serve our interests, then we need the thoughts, ideas and innovation that this country produces in such numbers to be equally represented

We need British nationals to join now to become the future leaders of the EU. Getting the UK better represented in EU institutions is an important issue for the government, including the Foreign Secretary. And that is why the Foreign Office is leading a campaign to encourage British nationals to consider a career in the EU institutions.

UK nationals are well-known for their quality and professionalism, and I believe that British graduates can transform our representation in the EU Institutions. It is an exciting career which impacts on the lives of 500 million people in 27 countries, and I sincerely hope that bright British graduates take this opportunity to apply. Watch our videos to find out what life is really like in the EU Civil Service.

The application process for a career in the EU Civil Service is now open. This process is called the concours and will close at 1200hrs on 17th April 2012. To apply you will need to be a graduate and be able to speak French or German *.

To find out more about careers in the EU Civil Service please visit our dedicated website which has all of the information you need to consider applying for a career in the EU.

 *Your second language has to be English, French or German. So if your main language is English you will need to choose French or German as your second language. However,  if you are highly fluent in another official  EU member state language then you can choose this as your first language and English as your second, for example Spanish and English or Italian and English.

About David Lidington

David Lidington MP was appointed Minister of State at the Foreign & Commonwealth Office on 14 May 2010. David Lidington was elected to Parliament in 1992 and is the Member…

David Lidington MP was appointed Minister of State at the Foreign & Commonwealth Office on 14 May 2010.
David Lidington was elected to Parliament in 1992 and is the Member of Parliament for Aylesbury.
He worked for BP and RTZ before spending three years as Special Advisor to Douglas Hurd in the Home Office and Foreign Office.
His proudest political achievement was successfully promoting a
Private Members Bill which became the Chiropractors Act in 1994. He
believes that this piece of legislation has made a real difference to
many people’s lives.
He has a long standing passion for history, and has twice captained a
champion team on University Challenge, first in 1979 and then in 2002
when the Sidney Sussex team became “champion of champions” in University
Challenge Reunited.
He is married to Helen Lidington and has four sons.

Follow David