Sample cover letter for Internship position at EU Delegation

Dear ____________,

As I believe my educational background, experience, and interests are a good match for this position, I would like to apply for an internship of up to six months.

During my bachelor in European Law I took courses in substantive EU law as well as comparative European law and obtained a thorough understanding of EU institutions and the dynamics between Member States. In my bachelor, I also specialized in the highly political subject of public international law. Especially my exchange semester in ______ was exclusively focused on this field of the law. At _____, I endeavoured to deepen my knowledge of public international and European law. Moreover, I supplemented my previous fields of expertise with courses in international finance and business law, and European refugee, and competition law. An award for belonging to the top 3% of my university, the publication of one of my essays by ______and especially, my participation in an additional research programme for selected students have shown that I am able to conduct high quality research and easily adjust to a truly international working environment. Besides my studies, I have engaged in a number of extracurricular activities. In my capacity as board member in one of ______ largest student parties, I learned to work in a multicultural team on administrative tasks and political projects. Moreover, as member of the United Nations Student Association, I arranged seminars and helped organize a conference that attracted more than 530 applicants from over 50 countries. At the same time, I have always taken language classes in Dutch, Swedish and French.

My interest in European and international law developed during my gap year abroad when I realized that my understanding of national and international politics had been determined by the socio-economic stability of the environment in which I had grown up. Realizing that Europe's prosperity and peace cannot be taken for granted was the onset of my ever increasing interest in organizations designed to resolve and prevent international conflicts and foster international cooperation. Thus, despite my decision to study European law, I have never been interested in the black letter law as such. In fact, the intersection of law and politics is the pivotal point of my interests: Especially, my enthusiasm for public international law rests on its close ties to the field of international relations and diplomacy. By the same token, my decisions to study international finance law, European institutional law and international refugee law were driven by my desire to fathom the underlying policy choices of the legal regimes.

This focus on the intersection of diplomacy, politics and law prompts me to apply for an internship with your delegation. On the one hand, I hope this internship will be a first step in a career in international organizations and allows for an insight into the daily work of a diplomatic mission. On the other hand, I would like to enhance my understanding of the EU's role in international organizations. The Delegation of the EU to the United Nations in New York is particularly interesting to me due to the central role of the UN in the system of public international law; a focal point of my studies. I am convinced my academic focus, my research skills and my experience in working in an international environment would allow me to contribute constructively to the work of your delegation.

Please, do not hesitate to contact me if you need further information. I am also available for interview at any time. Thank you very much for your consideration.

Yours sincerely,