Legal Officer - European Commission (AD5, Brussels)

About this position

The summary below is published by European Commission on the official vacancy notice. Our own analysis — salary realism, comparable openings, career trajectory, language profile — follows further down the page.

Key responsibilities

According to the vacancy notice, the role centres on the following duties:

• Assist in preparation and negotiation of new financial rules
• Assist in interpretation and implementation of existing legal and financing rules
• Coordinate specific legal files
• Assist in preparing inter-institutional and other negotiations
• Draft legal analysis and opinions
• Draft notes and replies to interservice consultations
• Draft legal texts
• Prepare documents supporting interinstitutional negotiations

Are you eligible?

Check these requirements from the notice before investing time in an application:

• Education: Completed university studies of at least 3 years attested by a diploma
• Experience: Experience in the field of the Financial Regulation and/or other financial rules applicable to the EU budget. Legal background with concrete experience in drafting and negotiating legislation and other legal acts is an asset. Experience with financial instruments, budgetary guarantees, budgetary principles and governance arrangements is a clear asset. Experience in relation with other Institution…
• Languages: English (C1), French (B2)
• Key skills: Problem-solving skills, Ability to translate complex ideas into clear and concise language, Strong sense of initiative, Ability to work with little guidance, Ability to adapt to new tasks, Ability to communicate convincingly, Ability to defend position in meetings, Sense of responsibility, Capacity to identify political concerns and propose appropriate solutions, Proficiency in English orally and in writing
• Eligibility: Citizen of a Member State of the EU and enjoy full rights as a citizen. Have fulfilled any obligations imposed by applicable laws concerning military service. Physically fit to perform the duties linked to the post. Produce appropriate character references as to suitability for the performance of the duties.

Selection process

The notice describes the following selection steps:

• Submit CV and completed application form in single PDF
• Send documents to [email protected] by publication deadline

Contract and working arrangements

Contract duration: Temporary agent position.

Working arrangements: Flexible working conditions including the possibility of teleworking.

Hiring unit: Unit BUDG.E.1 Financial Rules: Governance, Shared and Indirect Management, Directorate-General for Budget (DG BUDG).

Position details

Reference

BUDG/COM/2026/1471

Directorate-General

BUDG – Budget

Vacancy Notice

Download PDF

Last Verified

15 September 2026

Position overview

This is the official EU Careers listing for Legal Officer at European Commission based in Brussels at the AD5 grade level (Temporary Agent). The vacancy reference is BUDG/COM/2026/1471. It is hosted by BUDG – Budget, the Directorate-General responsible for this policy area. The role falls under the Budget And Finances domain.

MAKE A DIFFERENCE - JOIN THE EUROPEAN COMMISSION

Do you want to help shape the future of the European Union? Make the planet greener, promote a fairer society, or support businesses and innovation across the EU? Then come and work for the European Commission where you can really make a difference!

Commission staff are a diverse group of people, who are motivated to help make Europe – and the world – a better place. They come from the 27 Member States of the European Union. Different nationalities, backgrounds, languages and cultures make the Commission a vibrant and inclusive place to work.

WE OFFER GREAT JOBS AND GREAT WORKING CONDITIONS:

- Interesting and challenging jobs with plenty of opportunities for training and acquiring new skills and competencies throughout your whole career

- Opportunities to move between different policy areas throughout your career

- A package of flexible working conditions including the possibility of teleworking – we care about your work-life balance

- A competitive financial package, including comprehensive healthcare, accident and pension schemes

- A multilingual, multicultural workplace where personal and career development are strongly promoted

- Multilingual schools for your children

We recruit from a wide range of backgrounds and actively promote diversity and inclusion:

We do not only recruit political scientists and lawyers but are also looking for all kinds of profiles, including scientists, linguists, IT experts, data analysts and economists, as well as drivers and engineers.

We are committed to equal opportunities and to fostering a rich, diverse and inclusive working environment. We aim for our workforce to be representative of European society and strongly welcome applications from all qualified candidates. We actively seek to create a workplace where each staff member feels valued and respected, can give their best and can develop to their full potential. 2DG/COM/2026/1471 Version: 16/04/2026

To promote diversity and establish a geographically balanced pool of candidates, we strongly encourage applicants from Member States which are currently underrepresented in the European Commission workforce to apply. These Member States are currently Austria, the Czech Republic, Denmark, the Netherlands, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Ireland, Latvia, Luxembourg, Malta, Poland, Slovakia and Sweden 1. Recruitment will however remain strictly based on the merits of all applicants and no positions will be reserved for nationals of any specific Member State.

For more information ec.europa.eu/work-with-us

STAFF RECRUITED ON CONTRACTS

In addition to permanent officials, the European Commission offers non-permanent positions. There are two categories of non-permanent staff:

temporary agents are recruited to fill vacant positions for a set amount of time or

to perform highly specialised tasks.

contract agents may provide additional capacity in specialised fields where an

insufficient number of officials is available or carry out a number of administrative or manual tasks. They are generally recruited for fixed-term contracts (maximum 6 years in any EU Institution), but in some cases they can be offered contracts for an indefinite duration (in offices, agencies, delegations or representations).

For more information on different staff categories

1Please note that the list of underrepresented Member States may be subject to future amendment based on potential data changes over time.

3DG/COM/2026/1471 Version: 16/04/2026

Legal Officer

Directorate - General for budget (DG BUDG ) of the European

Commission

Selection reference: COM/ 2026/1471

Domain : BUDGET, FINANCE, CONTRACTS and ACCOUNTING - LAW

Where : Unit BUDG.E.1 Financial Rules: Governance, Shared and Indirect Management , Brussels

Staff category and Function Group : Temporary agent 2b – Administrator

Grade range: AD5 -7

Publication deadline : 28.09 .202 6- 12.00 (Brussels time)

Financial Regulation and/or other financial rules applicable to the EU budget"

WE ARE

Unit BUDG.E.1 ‘Financial Rules: Governance, Shared and Indirect Management’ is one of the legal units in DG

BUDG and forms part of the Commission’s Central Financial Service (CFS).

Our mission involves in particular:

- drafting, negotiating and interpreting the general financial rules laid down in the EU Financial

Regulation and other legislative acts related to the implementation of the EU budget;

- providing legal advice and support including for the CFS help desk in the field of:

- budgetary principles and other governance rules underpinning the establishment, implementation,

control and discharge of the Union budget;

- principles of implementation of the budget, e.g. conflict of interests, transparency, sound financial

management, performance, etc;

- EU funds implemented under shared management and other EU instruments financing pre -allocated

envelops for the EU Member States;

- EU funds implemented through indirect management, financial instruments and budgetary

guarantees;

- EU external actions instruments;

- financial rules for decentralised agencies, executive agencies, and joint undertakings

We work on a daily basis with Commission services, other EU institutions, EU agencies and bodies, and other

stakeholders. The Unit is actively involved in the design of the post 2027 Multiannual Financial Frameworks

(EU’s long -term budget). 4DG/COM/2026/1471 Version: 16/04/2026

WE PROPOSE

Great opportunities to learn and develop: You will be joining at a key moment for negotiating the relevant

legal acts proposed for the post -2027 Multiannual Financial Framework, including the financial rules for this

period. Work will consist of legal analysis and drafting of opinions, notes, replies to interservice consultations

and legal texts as well as the preparation of documents supporting interinstitutional negotiations. Daily

contacts with your clients in the Commission and beyond mean that communication and day -to -day

negotiation will be another important part of your work. The successful candidate will assist the work of the

unit, adopting a view that is not limited to the legal arguments but includes budgetary considerations and the

wider political context. Working in our unit is exciting and a friendly and collegial atmosphere makes for a

rewarding experience.

WE LOOK FOR

A colleague to take part in the preparation and negotiation of new financial rules as well as relevant parts of

the next Multiannual Financial Framework package, assist in the interpretation and implementation of

existing legal and financing rules, coordinate specific legal files and assist in preparing inter -institutional and

other negotiations in the competence of the Unit.

A candidate should fulfil the following specific requirements:

- has experience in the field of the Financial Regulation and/or other financial rules applicable to the

EU budget (experience with work related to financial instruments, budgetary guarantees, budgetary

principles and governance arrangements for the implementation of the budget is a clear asset);

- has preferably a legal background (concrete experience in drafting and negotiating legislation and

other legal acts is an asset)

- has the capacity to identify political concerns and to propose appropriate solutions in line with the

regulatory framework;

- has very good problem -solving skills and is able to translate complex ideas into clear and concise

language;

- has a strong sense of initiative, ability to work with little guidance and to adapt to new tasks;

- has the ability to communicate convincingly and to defend his/her position in meetings;

- has a sense of responsibility, including reporting on issues early enough for possible intervention;

- has experience in relation with other Institutions, agencies and other bodies;

- is proficient in English, both orally and in writing. Good command of French is an asset. 5DG/COM/2026/1471 Version: 16/04/2026

HOW TO EXPRESS YOUR INTEREST?

You should send your documents in a single pdf in the following order:

1. your CV 2. completed application form.

Please send these documents by the publication deadline to BUDG -MAILBOX [email protected]

indicating the selection reference BUDG/COM/2026/1471 in the subject.

No applications will be accepted after the publication deadline. 6DG/COM/2026/1471 Version: 16/04/2026

ANNEX

1. Selection

➢ Am I eligible to apply?

You must meet the following eligibility criteria when you validate your application :

Our rules provide that you can only be recruited as a temporary agent at the European Commission if you:

General criteria:

- Are a citizen of a Member State of the EU and enjoy full rights as a citizen

- Have fulfilled any obligations imposed by applicable laws concerning military service

- Are physically fit to perform the duties linked to the post

- Produce the appropriate character references as to suitability for the performance of the duties.

Qualifications:

In order to be recruited for this position, you must have at least a level of education which

corresponds to completed university studies of at least 3 years attested by a diploma.

Only qualifications issued or recognised as equivalent by EU Member State authorities (e.g. by the

Ministry of Education) will be accepted. Furthermore, before recruitment, you will be required to

provide the documents that corroborate the eligibility criteria (diplomas, certificates and other

supporting documents).

Languages:

have a thorough knowledge (minimum level C1) of one of the 24 official languages of the

EU 2

- AND a satisfactory knowledge (minimum level B2) of a second official language of the EU,

to the extent necessary for the performance of the duties.

➢ What about the selection steps?

The post was published internally within the Commission, inter -institutionally, and brought to the

attention of competition laureates.

Salary at this grade

Basic monthly salary at AD5 runs from €6,153 (step 1) to €6,961 (top step), giving an annual range of roughly €73,836 to €83,532 before tax and allowances. Steps increase automatically every two years; the figures here are taken from the salary grid in the EU Staff Regulations.

Eligible staff posted away from their country of nationality also receive an expatriation allowance worth 16% of basic salary (around €984 per month at step 1 of AD5) together with household, dependent-child, and education allowances where applicable. Take-home pay is then adjusted by the country correction coefficient for Brussels. For a worked example see our correction coefficients guide and the EU salaries overview.

Application timeline

This vacancy was first listed on 15 September 2026, today.

The application deadline is 28 September 2026, 12 days from today. Late applications are not accepted, so submit through the official EU Careers portal well in advance.

Last verified against the EU Careers feed on 15 September 2026.

Where to learn more

For full responsibilities, requirements, and career progression at AD5 see our AD5 grade page; for headcount, mission, and other open vacancies at European Commission see the European Commission institution page; for the cost of living, correction coefficient, and other postings in Brussels see our Brussels location page; for related vacancies in the Budget And Finances field browse our Budget And Finances domain page.

New to EU careers? Our beginner's guide walks through entry routes, EPSO competitions, and what to prepare. For application logistics see application tips and EPSO competitions.