Maria Sofia Macchioni is a Junior Legal Consultant at Spark Legal and Policy Consulting, having joined the company in 2025. Maria Sofia is part of the Communications Networks and Technology area and she is a member of Spark's PR and Communication team.
She is currently contributing to three projects for DG CONNECT (the “Review of Copyright in the DSM Directive” study, the “Artificial Intelligence Act: Technical Assistance for AI Safety” project, and the “Study to assess the interaction between the DSA and Member States’ national measures”) as well as the “Studying, Assessing and Evaluating Research and Innovation Programmes and Policies (SARI)” project for DG RTD.
She has also been involved in several other initiatives, including the “Study on systemic risks and their mitigation under the DSA” and the “Study supporting the evaluation of the Free Flow of Non-Personal Data Regulation, Open Data Directive, and Data Governance Act,” both for DG CONNECT. In parallel, she contributed to a DG RTD study on “Assistance to impact assessment for a proposal establishing a framework of measures to strengthen Europe’s innovation ecosystem,” and to the “Study on Open Banking and Open Finance” for the Financial Conduct Authority in the United Kingdom.
She holds a Master’s degree in European and Transnational Comparative Law from the University of Trento, where she graduated in 2024. During her studies, Maria Sofia had an exchange semester in Brazil and conducted her Master’s research thesis in Hong Kong and Macao, focusing on financial and regional policies and autonomy.
Before joining Spark, Maria Sofia worked at the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs at the Embassy of San José, Costa Rica, where she gained expertise in foreign policy and external action. Maria Sofia is also a member of the Institute of Chinese Law, collaborating with various international stakeholders.
A native Italian speaker, Maria Sofia is fluent in English and has a good knowledge of Spanish and Portuguese.
