Humans of the EU
About 55,000 civil servants work for the European Union, with most based in Brussels. A few EU officials appear on the media all the time. Who are some of the lesser-known people working for the European Union?
'We feel European'
Cherine from Belgium (left) and Solenn from Germany work for the European Commission but are reluctant to reveal what they do exactly. Before returning to their offices after lunch, they do, however, say there are very smart people working for the European institutions. The EU, they say, "is a place where things happen." That's why they wanted to work here - and because they "feel European."
'I've wanted to work for the EU for a long time'
Piero is from Italy, but has studied law and international relations in Paris. He came to work for the European Commission 10 months ago. "I've been wanting to work for the EU for a long time," he says,"but now is really a bad moment for it. Over the crisis in Greece, nationalism has come back, and it seems as if the past four months have done serious damage to the past 50 years of integration."
'A small part of the machinery'
Laura is from Spain. Sipping her coffee in the sun in front of the European Commission's Berlaymont building, she says she doesn't want a photo taken in which she can be recognized, because her department wouldn't want that. Having studied European studies, she says she is right where she wants to be. "I'm a small part of the machinery, but it's very satisfactory work."
"It's important to get a foot in the door"
David, 29, from Belgium is a translator but works as a "husher" in the Council. "I'm basically the internal mailman," he says, "I make photocopies and carry around documents and distribute newspapers." It's not a great job, he admits, but that's not what counts. "It's important to get a foot in the door," he says - confident that he will someday be one of the many translators working for the EU.
'People think they create realities'
Pablo, on the left, and Harry, on the right, work for Malta's permanent representation to the EU. About to head into a burger place for lunch, Harry explains he is preparing the Council presidency, which Malta will assume in January 2017. "Here in Brussels, as everywhere in politics, people think they create realities," Harry says. "But, in fact, people don't notice."
Hiding out
As he ducks into one of the snack bars surrounding the European Commission's main building, a young and very British-sounding young man wearing a badge on a blue lanyard (a dead giveaway for working for the EU) volunteers no information other than that he thinks the idea of interviewing people working for the EU is "great."
'Clear communication is a challenge'
On the other side of the Schuman traffic circle, where the European External Action Service has its offices, it's even harder to find people willing to have their picture taken. However, Robert, a 56-year-old Belgian, is not a diplomat but an IT specialist with the EEAS. The biggest challenge in his work is "to have a clear communication, especially when the user is upset."
#humansoftheeu
With 55,000 civil servants and a few thousand temporary staff from the European Union's 28 member countries, I (pictured) could only show a fraction of EU employees in this gallery. Few though they may be, they represent the individuals behind this big, often anonymous entity - they are some of the #humansoftheeu.