Juan Diego Ramírez-Cárdenas Díaz is a Senior Lecturer at EIPA Luxembourg, specialising in various aspects of EU law, including EU regulatory issues, administrative law, accession policy, and the legal education and training of national judiciaries. He has extensive experience designing and managing assistance projects, delivering legal training, and providing consultancy services to public administrations and legal professionals across the EU. His work particularly focuses on supporting institutions and civil servants in candidate countries and potential candidates for EU accession.
What is your current role and what are your responsibilities at EIPA? What are your daily tasks?
I am a Senior Lecturer at EIPA Luxembourg. My role is dynamic, and no two days are the same, largely due to the variety of projects I’m involved in. Currently, my main responsibility is overseeing EIPA’s activities under the 2024 Assistance Convention, facilitated by the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs, Defence, Development Cooperation and Foreign Trade (LUX MFEA) for candidate countries seeking EU accession. As the overall project coordinator, my duties include:
- Liaising with beneficiary countries, primarily through national magistrates‘ schools, Ministries of European Integration, or National Institutes of Public Administration
- Translating the needs of these beneficiaries into tailored technical assistance, whether through training, curriculum development, or comparative research
- Designing and implementing programmes for these assistance activities, which are my main focus this semester
- Reporting to LUX MFEA and its ambassadors on the progress and results of the assistance
For instance, a few weeks ago I was in Kyiv, delivering a seminar on EU Accession Negotiations to the Ukrainian Diplomatic Academy and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and conducting a series of meetings with key national institutions involved in Ukraine’s transition process (e.g., the Vice Prime Minister’s office, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the National Parliament, etc.). I also went to Chisinau, Moldova, where I delivered a hands-on, highly practical seminar on EU Legal Approximation to the National Agency of Public Services and met with the Government’s Bureau for European Integration to discuss the content of the assistance to be delivered to the country in 2025.
Additionally, I dedicate the remaining time outside of LUX MFEA to designing and implementing Open Activities (I am the Project Leader of one of EIPA Luxembourg’s landmark and most successful activities: EU Civil Service Law), and researching, designing, and delivering training on two of my current areas of focus: EU Administrative Law (Florin and I have recently drafted a curriculum on the subject, which has been incorporated into EIPA’s service catalogue) and EU Regulatory Matters (e.g., EU Health Law), either in the context of training provided to EU institutions or EIPA’s MELS Master programme, etc.
How did you come to work at EIPA?
I decided to join EIPA, drawn by its reputation as the leading provider of institutional training and consultancy for EU Member States, candidate countries, and potential candidates in EU affairs. I was also impressed by EIPA’s strong publication record at the time.
During my university and postgraduate studies, I frequently consulted Eipascope, finding its articles on foreign policy and EU decision making particularly valuable. At the time, developments in the EU’s Area of Freedom, Security, and Justice were a major focus, and I was especially engaged by the work of EIPA’s experts on the topic. That early exposure to EIPA’s publications and expertise greatly influenced my decision to pursue a career here.
What do you find most fulfilling or rewarding about your work at EIPA? Is there a particular aspect of your role that you’re passionate about?
The two aspects I find most rewarding are the diversity of projects I work on and the opportunity to collaborate with professionals from various countries, particularly those transitioning toward EU accession. The versatility of my role, in terms of both content and stakeholders, makes every project unique, keeping my work challenging yet fascinating.
I’m especially passionate about my work as the overall coordinator and project manager of the technical assistance EIPA provides to candidate countries and potential candidates for EU accession, with the support and funding of LUX MFEA. Traveling to places like Moldova, Ukraine, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and working with their various institutions and civil servants on matters related to the interpretation of EU law and its practical application is something I deeply enjoy. Seeing how the services provided contribute to improving their professional capacities and, ultimately, their progress along the EU integration path is incredibly rewarding.
Could you share a project or initiative at EIPA that you’re most proud of, and why?
I’m particularly proud of three projects. The first is the transformation of the Master’s in European Legal Studies (MELS), delivered by EIPA in collaboration with the University of Lorraine. I led the effort to upgrade it from a simple diploma to a full master’s programme that now meets all the academic standards of the Bologna Process, gaining state recognition in France and across the EU.
I’m also proud of EIPA’s technical assistance to EU candidate countries, which I’ve coordinated for the past three years. Under my leadership, we’ve expanded beyond traditional training to include services like comparative research, institutional building, and legislative drafting — services that have been highly appreciated by our beneficiaries.
In the development and implementation of the assistance, I strive not only to make sure that the needs of the beneficiary institutions are met as much as possible but also to give the highest institutional visibility to EIPA possible.
Lastly, I take great pride in my long-standing collaboration with the Regional School of Public Administration for the Western Balkans (ReSPA). I’ve been actively involved for over a decade, especially in their annual summer school on accession negotiations.
