Julio Baquero Cruz holds a law degree from Universidad Complutense (Madrid, 1994), an LL.M. from the College of Europe (1996), and a Ph.D. from the European University Institute of Florence (2001). He has been a référendaire at the Court of Justice of the European Union, first in the chambers of President Gil Carlos Rodríguez Iglesias and afterwards with Advocate General Miguel Poiares Maduro (2000-2004). Since 2009, he works as a member of the Legal Service of the European Commission. He has published and lectured widely on European Union law, and was a visiting professor at Sciences Po in Paris.