Paola Severino

Paola Severino is President of the Luiss School of Law and Professor Emeritus of Criminal Law at Luiss Guido Carli University.

From June 2018 to July 2023, she was Vice President of Luiss University, having formerly served as Rector from 2016 to 2018 and as Deputy Rector. From May 1st, 2003, to May 29, 2006, she was Dean of the Department of Law at Luiss.

From 1998 to 2018, she was Full Professor of Criminal Law at Luiss, holding the Chair of Criminal Law at the Department of Law at the University. Since 2018, she is fixed-term Full Professor of Criminal Law at the Department of Law at Luiss, where she also holds the Chair of Cybersecurity.

She has served as Director of the Master’s Program in “Diritto Penale d’Impresa”, of the Master’s Program in “Compliance e Prevenzione della Corruzione nei Settori Pubblico e Privato” and of the Master’s Program in “Cybersecurity: Politiche pubbliche, normative e gestione” at Luiss.

She is Professor of Criminal Law at the “Scuola Ufficiali Carabinieri” in Rome.

Since September 2021 she is President of the National School of Public Administration (SNA).

Since May 2021 she is President of the Scientific Committee (Supervisory board) of the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (NRRP) at the Italian Ministry of University and Research.

Since July 2021 she is Co-President of the Scientific Committee and National Citizens’ Representative for Italy at the Conference on the Future of Europe, and since June 2022 she is member of the Scientific technical committee of the National Cybersecurity Authority.

From January 2018 to December 2020, she was Special Representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office on Combating Corruption.

She was appointed by Prime Minister Paolo Gentiloni and by the President of the French Republic Emmanuel Macron as a member of the working group in charge of drafting what is commonly referred to as the “Quirinale Treaty”.

In March 2019, she was awarded the title of Chevalier de la Légion d’Honneur by the President of the French Republic Emmanuel Macron, and in February 2019 the Memorial Gold Medal Shahamir Shahamiryan by the Republic of Armenia.

In July 2023, she received a PhD Honoris Causa in “Scienze delle Pubbliche Amministrazioni” from the University of Messina.

In June 2018, she received an honorary Doctor of Laws (LLD) degree from the University of Glasgow.

From the year 2016 to the year 2022, she was a member of the Consiglio dell’Ordine “Al merito della Repubblica Italiana” (Committee of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic). In 2015 she was awarded the title of “Cavaliere di Gran Croce”.

Since 2019 she is Vice President of the International Association of Penal Law (AIDP) and since January 2015 she is President of the AIDP Italian group. She is also Vice President of “The Siracusa International Institute for Criminal Justice and Human Rights”.

She was a member of the “Comitato di Riflessione e Indirizzo Strategico” promoted by the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation.

From 2014 to 2018, she was President of the “Osservatorio per il monitoraggio dell’efficienza complessiva del sistema giustizia e per la valutazione dell’efficacia delle riforme necessarie alla crescita del Paese” at the Italian Ministry of Justice.

From November 2011 to April 2013, she served as Italy's Minister of Justice in the Cabinet led by Mario Monti.

From 1997 to 2001, she was Vice President of the Council of the Military Judiciary.

Paola Severino has been a member of several ministerial committees including, in 2006, the “Commissione per lo studio e la proposta di riforme di interventi sul piano normativo e organizzativo che razionalizzino l’esercizio della giurisdizione e conferiscano efficienza al sistema”(study and reform proposal on regulatory and organizational measures to make the jurisdictional system more efficient) and, in 2007, the “Commissione per lo studio e la proposta di riforme ed interventi per la razionalizzazione, armonizzazione e semplificazione delle procedure processuali ed amministrative relative alle sanzioni pecuniarie da reato applicate a norma del decreto legislativo 8 giugno 2001, n. 231, alle spese processuali ed alla gestione dei beni confiscati ed in giudiziale sequestro nonché la verifica ed ampliamento delle forme di contrasto alla criminalità economica con riferimento particolare all’ambito di applicazione della responsabilità degli enti” (study and reform proposal to harmonize and simplify procedures related to pecuniary sanctions for corporations, costs of proceedings, confiscated and seized property and to extend measures to fight economic crime).

She has participated in and coordinated research units for national and international projects.

She also received numerous awards for her scientific and professional work: Minerva Prize in 2003, Marisa Bellisario Prize in 2009, Dell’Andro Prize in 2012, Scanno – Sezione Diritto Prize in 2015, Guido Carli Prize, “Il Perugino” Prize and Atena Donna Prize in 2018, Le Fonti Awards Prize in 2019, “Il Normanno” Prize and the Menorah D’Oro of the Benè Berith Prize in 2021.

She is a member of the Scientific Committees of: Fondazione Cassa Depositi e Prestiti, “Centro Alti Studi” at the Italian Ministry of the Interior, Fondazione Occorsio, Osservatorio Ethos, Luiss Open, Arel, Eastwest.

She is a member of the legal-ethics Committee of the “Arma dei Carabinieri”, a member of the Board of Directors of the “Fondazione Cortile dei Gentili”, and Honorary President of the Women4Cyber Italy Association.

She also serves as President of the Scientific Committee of EXPO 2030 Rome and as President of the “Collegio dei Probiviri dell’Associazione Generale Italiana dello Spettacolo”.

She is member of the General Council of the Italian Chapter of ICON-S, of the IAI – Istituto Affari Internazionali Board of Directors and of the Executive Committee of The Council for the United States and Italy.

She was a member of the editorial staff of the Enciclopedia Giuridica Treccani and of the journal “Banca, borsa e titoli di credito”, and is currently a member of the Scientific Committees of the following journals: “Archivio penale”, “Rivista della Guardia di Finanza”, “Rivista del diritto della navigazione”, “The Future of Science and Ethics”, “Sistema penale”, “Diritto dell’Internet” and “Notariato”. She is also a member of the Editorial Board of the journal “Diritto Penale Contemporaneo – Rivista Trimestrale” and President of the “Comitato tecnico-scientifico” of the journal “Rassegna dell’Arma dei Carabinieri”.

She participates as a speaker in numerous national and international conferences on criminal law, business criminal law, and cybersecurity.

As a criminal lawyer admitted to practice before the Court of Cassation, she provides legal advice and defense in the field of Business Criminal Law.

ACADEMIC EDUCATION

In 1971 she graduated cum laude in Law at Sapienza University of Rome and attended the School of Specialization in Criminal Law and Criminology at the same University.

From 1972 to 1975 she was a C.N.R. Fellow at Sapienza University of Rome.

In 1975 she became a Full Assistant Professor at Sapienza University’s II Chair of Criminal Law, where she served until 1987.

In 1983 she was awarded a fellowship at the Max Planck Institut in Freiburg i.Br.

After qualifying as an Associate Professor in the first round of the election procedure, she took service in this capacity in 1987 at the Department of Economics and Business, University of Perugia, holding the Chair of Business Criminal Law. In 1995, she won the national competition for Full Professor, holding the Chair of Criminal Law at the University of Perugia. In 1998 she moved to Luiss University, where she still teaches.