The European Space Agency is an international organisation and the European gateway to space. Together with its Member States, the Agency expands the boundaries of discovery and exploration and provides space applications for the benefit of citizens on Earth.

The Legal Services Department provides the full range of legal services across ESA’s programmes and legal disciplines, such as public international law, European law and the national law of ESA’s Member States.

The Legal Services Department provides authoritative legal advice to the Director General, the Directorates, but also to Council and other organs of the Agency, to achieve the objectives set up in the ESA Convention. As such the Legal Services Department participates in the decision-making among Member States, formulating legal opinions and bringing new ideas to formalise space policies and programmes in  Europe.

You will be part of a team of highly motivated, skilled lawyers working in an inspirational, interdisciplinary and multicultural environment.

Field(s) of activity for the internship

Topic of the internship: Legal research in public international and EU law

Focus area 1) Carrying out legal research and analysis in public international law (e.g. treaty law and laws of international organisations) and EU law,  including questions of doctrine and practice;

Focus area 2) Preparing, contributing to, reviewing and processing documents and legal instruments (agreements, memoranda, legal analysis, draft notes, etc.) as part of the Division’s daily business.

Required Qualifications 

You must be a university student, preferably in your final or second-to-last year of a university course at the Master’s level and you need to remain enrolled at your University for the entire duration of the internship.

Additional requirements

The working languages of the Agency are English and French. A good knowledge of one of these is required. Knowledge of another Member State language would be an asset.

Knowledge and background in space law and space policy demonstrated through both study and experience, is an asset.