Ref.
2025/LEIEDRRC/14468
Job offer type
Experts
Type of contract
Service contract
Deadline date
2026/01/11 16:54
Duration of the assignment
Beaded expertise
Contract
Freelancer
Duration
4 mois
Legal Expert in EU Defence & R&D Regulatory Compliance (M/W)
Département Paix, stabilité, sécurité - P2S > Pôle Renforcement des forces de sécurité et de défense
Published on : 2025/12/19
CONTINENTAL EUROPE
GREECE
Mission description
The Senior Legal Expert will lead the legal and regulatory analysis required to align HCDI’s operations with EU legislation applicable to defence innovation and R&D. The role focuses on interpretation of EU law, identification of legal obligations, compliance risks, and required legal or statutory amendments, ensuring that HCDI operates fully in line with EU requirements and good governance practices.
The expert will benefit from the initial analyses and observations conducted during the inception phase, as documented in deliverable 1: the Inception Report (Output 1). All documentation collected during this phase will also be made available to support the expert’s work.
Additionally, the expert will collaborate with the defence policy and innovation expert (output 2) on this Output 4 to contribute to the drafting of the Roadmap deliverables.
The expected results within the framework of this assignment:
- · Definition of HCDI’s priorities and orientation
- · Strategic Orientation and Priority Setting
- · Review and Analysis of EU legislative framework
- · Assessment of Alignment with HCDI’s mission
- · Development of an operation Alignment Roadmap
- · Monitoring Framework Development
- · Evaluation Framework Development
- · Finalisation and Validation of the Roadmap
The expert, acting as the person responsible for the technical monitoring and oversight of activities, will carry out the following tasks:
1. EU Legislative Review and Legal Analysis
· Identify, review, and interpret EU regulations, directives, and policy instruments relevant to defence innovation and R&D.
Conduct in-depth legal analysis of key frameworks, including:
o European Defence Readiness 2030 / Joint White Paper
o ReArm Europe Plan / Readiness 2030
o Defence Readiness Omnibus and related packages
o European Defence Fund (EDF) Regulation
o Defence Procurement Directive
o NIS Directive
o Directive on European Critical Infrastructures
o Emerging legislation (e.g. EDIP, intra-community transfer rules)
· Identify binding legal obligations, compliance requirements, and legal constraints applicable to HCDI.
2. Legal Alignment with HCDI’s Mission
3. Legal Inputs to the Compliance Roadmap
4. Monitoring and Evaluation – Legal Perspective
5. Validation and Finalisation (Steering Committee)
·
Project or context description
Expertise France, the French agency for international technical cooperation, is a key actor in supporting sustainable public policy development worldwide. It designs and implements projects that strengthen governance, security, climate, health, and education systems in developing and emerging countries, contributing to the achievement of the 2030 Agenda.
Greece has requested the support of the European Commission to assist in the capacity-building of the Hellenic Centre for Defence Innovation (HCDI). Through the Technical Support Instrument (TSI), SG REFORM is financing Expertise France to provide expertise and ensure the strengthening of HCDI’s capacities.
The HCDI was created with the primary purpose of developing the innovation ecosystem in the dual-use and defence research and development (R&D) sector, stimulating technological progress, and implementing structural reforms aimed at enhancing resilience. Furthermore, the EU’s “ReArm Europe” initiative emphasizes the need to strengthen military preparedness and effectiveness, in line with objectives to translate the operational needs of the Greek Armed Forces into concrete solutions. Additionally, the future of European defence, as defined by the European Commission in the White Paper on the Future of European Defence, involves developing strategic autonomy and collaborative defence strategies within the EU.
As a key entity tasked with transforming the operational needs of the Greek Armed Forces into concrete solutions, HCDI faces several challenges, including the underdevelopment of dual-use technologies, the absence of a comprehensive government-wide innovation strategy, and limited access to financial instruments. These gaps hinder innovation, weaken national security preparedness, and create inefficiencies in resource allocation.
To address these issues, the project will strengthen Greece’s defence innovation ecosystem by enhancing HCDI’s capabilities.
Within this framework, under the ELKAK DEFENCE INNOVATION project, Expertise France is seeking individual legal expert to implement the Output 4: Roadmap to align HCDI’s operations to the EU legislative requirements and good practices in defence innovation.
Required profile
- Qualifications and experiences
· Advanced degree in EU Law, Public Law, or International Law.
· Minimum 8–10 years of experience in EU regulatory compliance, preferably in defence, security, or public procurement.
· Demonstrated expertise in EU defence procurement and R&D legislation.
· Experience advising public bodies or agencies on EU compliance.
- Key Skills
· Excellent legal analysis and drafting skills.
· Strong knowledge of EU institutional and legislative processes.
· Ability to translate EU legal requirements into operational legal guidance.
- Desirable Assets
· Experience with EDF or specific legal frameworks.
· Knowledge of the Greek legal and defence institutional framework
Additional information
The mission is expected to start mid January and last for four months
Selection criteria for applications
The selection process for candidates will be based on the following criteria :
- Candidate’s training/skills/experience
- Candidate’s training/diplomas related to the expert assignment
Deadline for application : 2026/01/11 16:54
Expertise France is the public agency for designing and implementing international technical cooperation projects. The agency operates around four key priorities :
- democratic, economic, and financial governance ;
- peace, stability, and security ;
- climate, agriculture, and sustainable development ;
- health and human development ;
In these areas, Expertise France conducts capacity-building initiatives and manages project implementation, leveraging technical expertise and acting as a project coordinator. This involves combining public sector expertise with private sector skills to drive impactful results.