Traineeship at the Permanent Representation of the Republic of Lithuania to the Council of Europe

As a recent graduate from Vilnius University, Faculty of Law, I had an opportunity to do an internship at the Permanent Representation of the Republic of Lithuania to the Council of Europe. During six months in Strasbourg I have gained unforgettable and valuable experience.

Council of Europe is an international organisation promoting human rights, democracy and the rule of law, where permanent representatives from 47 member states discuss national approaches to human rights challenges and give the political impetus to the Council’s activities.

During my internship, I had an opportunity to find out more about many activities and international co-operation procedures followed by the Council of Europe, including the implementation of the European Convention on Human Rights. As a trainee of permanent representation, I was able to attend the Committee of Ministers meetings and closely follow the supervision of the execution of the European Court of Human rights judgments. Moreover, I was attending many conferences held within the Organisation: sittings of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, Congress of Local and Regional Authorities, World Forum for Democracy and other meetings that took place in Strasbourg.

During this internship I have gained an in-depth knowledge of the protection of human rights, especially in the fields such as freedom of expression and media, protection of minorities, combating hate speech, corruption and terrorism. I had an opportunity not only to get a better understanding of the procedures in implementing Council of Europe standards at national level in Lithuania, but also to follow the reforms made in other member states.

Furthermore, this internship was a chance to gain valuable experience in a complex multi-cultural and stimulating work environment. The atmosphere at the permanent representation was friendly and my colleagues kindly and instantly accepted me as a new staff member. I always felt their support and willingness to help me as well as their efforts to give me a chance to learn and gain as much experience as I can.

I believe that internship at the Permanent Representation of the Republic of Lithuania to the Council of Europe will be remembered as one of my best working experiences. It helped me to fulfill my professional goals as well as to create new ones.

Eglė Rekašiūtė