Maciej Szpunar Born 1971; degrees in law from the University of Silesia and the College of Europe, Bruges; Doctor of Law (2000); habilitated Doctor in Legal Science (2009); Professor of Law (2013); Visiting Scholar at Jesus College, Cambridge (1998), the University of Liège (1999) and the European University Institute, Florence(2003); lawyer (2001-08), member of the Committee for Private International Law of the Civil Law Codification Commission under the Ministry of Justice (2001-08); member of the Board of Trustees of the Academy of European Law, Trier; associate member of the International Academy of Comparative Law; member of the European Group for Private International Law (EGPIL); member of the Research Group on Existing EC Private Law (‘Acquis Group’); Undersecretary of State in the Office of the Committee for European Integration (2008-09), then in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (2010-13); Agent of the Polish Government in a large number of cases before the European Union judicature; Head of the Polish delegation at the negotiations on the Treaty on Stability, Coordination and Governance in the Economic and Monetary Union; member of the editorial board of a number of legal journals; author of numerous publications in the fields of European law and private international law; Advocate General at the Court of Justice since 23 October 2013.