Julia BLEES joined EuRIC in December 2018. She is a fully qualified lawyer in Germany and holds a Master of Laws (LL.M.) from George Mason University in Virginia. In addition to her studies in the United States, she interned at the World Bank’s Legal Vice Presidency in Washington DC and previously worked in a Brussels-based consultancy advising multinational companies on environmental, health and safety (EHS) matters. At EuRIC, Julia focusses on regulatory, policy as well as legal issues of importance for the recycling industry.  

Rikarnto BOUNTIS joined EuRIC in October 2020. He has a bachelor’s degree in Environmental Engineering from the Polytechnic University of Patra and a master’s degree in Waste and Resource Management from the University of the West of Scotland. He speaks fluent Greek, Italian and English. After completing his studies, he acted as a consultant in the energy sector for a British consultancy, and then he joined amfori (the leading global business association for open and sustainable trade), as an environmental expert. At EuRIC, Rikarnto is managing technical issues that emerge from the interface between waste, chemicals and product legislations as well as relevant BREFs.

Maria VERA-DURAN joined EuRIC in July 2021. She holds a bachelor's degree in Chemical Engineering and an MBA from the University of Malaga (Spain). She has been working as a project coordinator at the International Relations Office of the University of Malaga for almost 5 years, where she contributed to projects on managerial excellence and internationalization strategy. At EuRIC, she assists EU-funded projects, including project coordination and implementation of tasks, external communications and drafting of reports related to H2020.