What is your current role and responsibilities?
I currently work as an EU official at the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Taxation and Customs Union (DG TAXUD), within the Customs Directorate, which is responsible for customs reform. This is a particularly topical area, as customs and trade sit at the core of international trade relations and have increasingly featured in the news in recent years.
My role focuses on ensuring that customs processes and codes are up to date, future-proof, and able to address today’s challenges, including the massive increase in trade volumes—especially through e-commerce—as well as a volatile geopolitical environment. Before joining the Commission, I spent several years as an attorney at an international law firm in Brussels, practising international trade and competition law.
How did the EUI help shape your career and professional profile?
The EUI was essential for my professional development because it gave me the tools to become a deep thinker. That skill proved crucial throughout my career—first in private practice, where clients needed advice that went beyond black-letter law to include policy and economic considerations, and even more so now at the Commission, where policymaking requires exactly this kind of interdisciplinary thinking in the service of both citizens and businesses.
How do you think the network you found at the EUI helped you beyond academia? For example, in public engagement, building your profile, or through collaborations and conferences?
The EUI has a very strong alumni network, with many former EUI-ers holding key positions. From my experience, EUI alumni are always keen to connect, especially given shared experiences and points of reference.
The EUI brand is also widely recognised and valued, not only in academia but in policymaking as well. This recognition has helped me build relationships and collaborate with people—both at the Commission and in law firms—who share similar backgrounds, including fellow EUI alumni.
Looking back at your EUI experience, what are your fondest memories or highlights? What was a typical day at the EUI like for you?
This question really takes me back. I particularly remember the intense periods leading up to PhD deadlines or conference presentations. I’m an early riser, so I was usually in the library by 8:30, working for a few hours before lunch at the Badia canteen, which at the time served most departments.
During my first year, the Law Department was based at Villa Schifanoia, which I really loved. I had my selection interview there, and I enjoyed working in such a beautiful setting. Schifanoia and Badia were the main places where I studied, worked, and—of course—shared at least two or three coffees a day with colleagues and friends. Meeting like-minded people who challenge your thinking is a defining feature of the EUI, and it explains why so many long-lasting connections are formed there.
What was your relationship with your supervisors like?
My relationship with both supervisors, Petros Mavroidis and Stefan Grundmann, was—and remains—very close. They encouraged my ideas from the start. While I initially focused on regulatory aspects, I soon realised I wanted to explore broader questions at the intersection of international trade, competition law, and economic analysis.
They fully supported this evolution, giving me both the tools and the flexibility to gain experience at the European Commission and the World Trade Organization, as well as to spend a year as a visiting scholar at Columbia Law School. Their guidance allowed me to complete my PhD in the best possible way, and I remain very grateful to both.
Did you always see yourself working in policy?
When you pursue a PhD at such a prestigious institution, many paths remain open. When I started my PhD, working in policy was only at the back of my mind. I also greatly enjoyed the academic process—research, writing, publishing, and engaging in conferences.
At some point, however, purely theoretical work began to feel a bit distant. I felt it was important to be closer to where developments were happening and to contribute more directly. I therefore joined an international law firm and worked on high-profile cases for several years, which I found extremely rewarding.
Later on, I realised that policymaking offered the possibility to shape developments and create positive change more directly. That is what ultimately drew me to my current role at the Commission. Alongside this, I remain academically active as a visiting professor and regularly give talks at leading universities and conferences in my field.
Were there particular people or experiences at the EUI that inspired you?
Absolutely. One of the EUI’s greatest strengths is the exposure it offers to high-level individuals and events—CEOs, Commissioners, politicians, central bankers, EU and international judges, and leading practitioners. This environment helps you understand what paths are possible and what you might want to pursue.
For example, the WTO dispute settlement and case law conferences organised by Petros Mavroidis brought together top minds in trade law and economics every year, and I found them extremely inspiring. Similarly, the annual competition law conferences organised by Giorgio Monti, which gathered academics, lawyers, economists, and senior Commission officials in Florence, were invaluable experiences.
What makes the EUI unique, in your view?
Academic freedom and research excellence are at the core of the EUI’s value system. As a researcher, you are free to develop your own project, define your own research questions, and pursue them with your chosen methodology, as long as it is academically sound.
In many other environments, you are expected to work within established frameworks. At the EUI, originality is encouraged. This, combined with a strong sense of community and genuine interdisciplinary exposure, makes the EUI stand out. In my case, empirical research led me to collaborate closely with economists and to follow courses outside my home discipline, which significantly enriched my work.
What advice would you give to current or future EUI-ers?
Enjoy your time and make it count—it goes by very quickly. Doing research at the EUI is a privilege, as it gives you the space and resources to focus fully on your project.
At the same time, it’s important to prepare strategically for what comes next. Career paths are not always linear or obvious, but the EUI equips you with the tools to move into academia, the private sector, or public and international institutions. Ultimately, everything is in your hands.
Do you still come back to the EUI?
I try to visit at least once a year, often in connection with academic activities. For example, last year I presented my book at Villa Salviati, which was a great experience. I also stay in touch with professors and staff, both long-standing and new, which keeps the connection dynamic and fresh. And, of course, Florence always provides a very good reason to return.
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The EUI Alumni Testimonials series offers a glimpse into the diverse paths and experiences of our alumni. Through their stories, we revisit meaningful moments from their time at the EUI and discover how these experiences continue to shape their personal and professional journeys.
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Disclaimer: All information reported in this article reflects solely the perspective of EUI alumni and former EUI members. In no case does this article represent the view of the organisations the interviewees are affiliated with.