Before starting my internship in May at the Court of Justice of the European Union, I had the opportunity to do a three-month internship at the CSD. This experience was enriching in many regards, as I gained hands-on experience in security issues -especially regarding countering radicalization and violent extremism-, while improving my research and analytical skills. This prepared me well for my internship at the CJEU, as I am very proud to say that I came out knowing a lot more than before.

In that respect, I conducted a literature review on how the different stakeholders identify and monitor individuals suspected of being radicalized, which helped for the drafting of a future report on this matter. Plus, I also took part in the preparation of a policy brief for judges, prosecutors, lawyers, law enforcement officials, and media on the existing official guides and handbooks dealing with the protection of fundamental rights in the context of terrorism, including the procedural rights of persons accused of terrorist activities. Being credited in those documents is a superb opportunity for me, without mentioning that knowing my work has an impact and is recognized could not be more rewarding.

Overall, I gained autonomy and improved my ability to sort information to perform qualitative and quantitative research. My internship also allowed me to work in an environment entirely in English, even if I did it remotely due to the pandemic.

Lastly, I greatly appreciated the kindness and comprehension of the persons I had the pleasure to talk with. Especially, I would like to thank Ms. Tatyana Novossiolova for her supervision when I was conducting the various tasks. Her remarks allowed me to improve my work according to certain expectations, therefore being able to provide high-quality work for the great public policy institute that is the CSD!