An EU Delegation is a diplomatic mission of the European Union in a non-EU country or to an international organisation. The Union runs around 140 delegations worldwide, managed by the European External Action Service, and they represent the EU much as an embassy represents a single state.
Each EU Delegation is headed by an Ambassador and staffed by a mix of expatriate officials and temporary agents posted from headquarters, plus local agents recruited in the host country. Together they carry out the Union's external work: political reporting and diplomacy, managing development and cooperation programmes, promoting trade, running public-diplomacy and press activities, and coordinating with the embassies of EU member states. Delegations report back to the External Action Service and the relevant Commission services, and they are a central pillar of the EU's presence in the world. From a careers perspective, delegations employ several categories of staff. Expatriate posts are filled by officials and temporary agents who rotate through headquarters and field assignments, and who may receive the expatriation allowance and location-specific arrangements. Local agents are hired under host-country contracts for administrative, logistical and specialist support. Delegations also host junior professionals through the JPD programme and, occasionally, trainees. Working in a delegation is one of the few ways to combine an EU civil-service career with life abroad, and vacancies appear both on the EU Careers portal and through the External Action Service.
Frequently asked questions
- How many EU Delegations are there?
- The European Union runs around 140 delegations across the world, in non-EU countries and to international organisations. They are managed by the European External Action Service and function much like embassies, representing the Union rather than a single member state.
- Who works in an EU Delegation?
- Delegations combine expatriate officials and temporary agents posted from headquarters with local agents recruited in the host country. They also host junior professionals through the JPD programme and, at times, trainees, spanning political, trade, cooperation and press work.