About us
Founded in Brussels in 1983, the Centre for European Policy Studies (CEPS) is a leading think tank and forum for debating EU affairs, which has been consistently ranked among the top 10 world’s best think tanks. One of CEPS’ distinguishing features is its strong in-house research capacity and an extensive international network of partner institutes. CEPS’ funding comes from a variety of sources, mainly research grants and service contracts, but also from membership and conference fees.
The ‘Financial Markets and Institutions’ unit consists of a research team specialised in financial services and their providers. The unit’s main activities of the unit are policy research and events. For the policy research the team is using a combination of both state-of-the-art quantitative and qualitative research methods. Equally, the FMI unit manages the European Capital Markets Institute (ECMI), the European Credit Research Institute (ECRI) and provides the secretariat for the Network of Independent Fiscal Institutions (IFIs).
Main tasks
-
You will become a member of the CEPS team and contribute to the work of the ‘Financial Markets and Institutions’ unit and of ECMI and ECRI under the supervision of the Head of Unit.
-
You will contribute to research activities in the field of EU financial markets policy.
-
You will participate in international research teams that carry out projects for the European Commission and other funding organisations.
-
You will assist in data collection, processing, analysis and visualisation, conduct analysis and desk research tasks and contribute to the drafting of policy papers for unit projects and the preparation of the ECMI and ECRI statistical packages.
Your background and qualifications
-
You are currently enrolled in a Master’s programme in finance, economics, public policy, European studies, or a closely related field.
-
You have a demonstrable interest in EU financial markets, financial institutions and regulatory/policy debates (e.g. the Banking Union, Capital Markets Union, sustainable finance, digital finance, market infrastructure).
-
You are comfortable working with data and quantitative information, including data collection, cleaning, basic analysis and visualisation, and supporting the preparation of ECMI and ECRI statistical packages (tables, charts and indicators). Familiarity with at least one relevant tool (e.g. Python, R, Stata, Power BI, Tableau) is expected.
-
Any prior experience through internships is an asset but not required.
-
You have excellent written and spoken English. Additional EU languages are an advantage but not essential.
-
You can work in Brussels in an international environment and manage multiple tasks with good attention to detail.
Your profile
-
You are a reliable team player who can work effectively with junior and senior colleagues and contribute under the supervision of a senior researcher.
-
You are curious and proactive: you take ownership of tasks, ask the right questions and are comfortable working with limited initial guidance.
-
You have strong analytical judgement and can translate complex material into clear summaries, tables and short written inputs for policy outputs.
-
You are well organised, deadline-conscious and attentive to quality (especially on referencing, data accuracy and presentation).
-
You communicate clearly and professionally, and you are open to giving and receiving feedback.
-
You have or are willing to develop insights into ongoing legislative and policy debates in the field.
-
You have absolute respect for diversity and an inclusion-oriented mindset.
-
You are enthusiastic to contribute towards the success of the whole of CEPS as an organisation.
What CEPS can offer
We offer a full-time internship for up to 12 months. The selected candidate will be eligible to receive expense reimbursement up to 750 EUR/month upon receipt of justifying documents during the internship. If the selected candidate is a recent graduate on the CIP scheme, they will receive legal CIP reimbursement. The preferred start date is March or April 2026. The internship is primarily in-person in Brussels; remote arrangements can be discussed for part of the internship.
Career development prospects
This internship offers hands-on experience in EU financial markets policy research and provides a strong foundation for roles such as Research Assistant (and related policy research positions).
More information
Further information about the position can be obtained from Beatriz Pozo ([email protected]).
Application and deadline
CEPS strongly values and actively pursues diversity. We encourage applications especially from female, LGBTQ+ candidates and candidates belonging to ethnic groups that are under-represented at CEPS.
Applications should include:
-
A one-page letter of motivation
-
A detailed CV (preferably in Europass format).
Both documents should be drafted in English and e-mailed to [email protected] by Friday 20 February 2026. Shortlisted candidates may be asked to provide references (and/or letters of recommendation).
If you do not meet every requirement but believe your skills and experience would allow you to fulfil the tasks, we still strongly encourage you to apply.
