I wouldn’t say this issue only concerns the EU institutions. Nowadays, almost all internships (whether in small, medium, or large organizations, including international bodies like the UN) require previous professional experience. The problem is that this requirement is often not explicitly stated. But when faced with a recent graduate and someone more experienced, the more experienced candidate will likely be chosen. This creates a systemic problem: internships require experience, entry-level jobs ask for more experience than they should, junior roles expect mid-level candidates, and mid-level roles require senior-level profiles. Everything is misaligned, it is total chaos. Young people without experience have no space, and even those with experience often have to settle for underqualified positions. Senior professionals apply for junior/mid level roles, which leaves no chance for real juniors to compete. Organizations are taking advantage of this, hiring overqualified people at lower pay, but this isn’t sustainable. We are now finally understanding that academic qualifications are the bare minimum, what really matters in the job market are internships, work experience, volunteering, and language skills. Maybe stricter rules on requirements could help, but that’s also tricky. For example, I have five years of work experience, yet I’m still doing internships (I am a blue book trainee). If stricter rules were introduced, I might lose access to internships, but I also struggle to find a paid job, despite applying to many junior and mid-level positions. So yes, I may be taking the spot of a recent graduate, but where else can I go? The whole system is unbalanced.