Majo Appointed President of Civitavecchia, Gaeta and Fiumicino Port Authority

International law firm Watson Farley & Williams (“WFW“) is delighted to announce that Rome corporate Counsel Francesco Maria di Majo has been appointed president of the prestigious Port Authority of Civitavecchia, Gaeta and Fiumicino (Lazio Region, Italy).

The appointment was confirmed today by Minister of Infrastructure and Transport Mr Graziano Delrio, following approval from the Italian Chamber of Deputies’ Transport Commission on 15 November 2016.

The Port Authority of Civitavecchia, Gaeta and Fiumicino is a key maritime hub for Rome and the central Italian regions of Campania, Umbria, Tuscany and Marche, linking them to the rest of the Mediterranean and beyond, as well as offering access to some of Italy’s most popular tourist destinations and captivating cruise routes. Civitavecchia is the largest cruise port in Italy with circa 2.3m passengers visiting annually, and the second largest in the Mediterranean overall after Barcelona (2.5m).  Such is the authority’s prestige that the ports of Ortona and Pescara on the opposite, east coast of Italy in the Abruzzo region, have both officially requested to join it.

Previously, Francesco has acted as lead legal consultant on a comprehensive and detailed study, commissioned by the Italian Presidency Council in 2010, on the reform of the legal framework governing Italian port to ensure more efficient co-ordination of infrastructure and services development.

Prior to that, he served as an Italian diplomat for over ten years in Luxembourg, the Czech Republic, Austria and the Western Balkans. During his time in the diplomatic service, he also participated in the negotiations between the Italian and Austrian Governments which led to the signature in 2004 of the international treaty to build the Brenner Base Tunnel linking the two countries.

Francesco was also the EU’s official expert referee for projects involving technical and legal assistance for countries in the Western Balkans from 2008 to 2012, and was project manager for the EBRD regional training programme on European law, energy and the environment (“Presentation to SEE Public Officials on EC Energy and Environment Law and Policy”), designed for government officials in the region. Other important roles Francesco has held include  being UN project manager advising the Government of Montenegro on the adoption of the EU regulations relating to the corporate sector and working for the EU Technical Assistance Information Exchange Office in Serbia and Macedonia regarding environmental protection, renewable energy and consumer protection matters.

Francesco commented: “I am deeply honoured to have been nominated president of the Civitavecchia Port Authority and look forward to working alongside my new colleagues there to ensure the port goes from strength to strength as central Italy’s leading commercial maritime port”.

WFW Italy head Eugenio Tranchino added: “My sincerest congratulations to Francesco on this signal honour which is a testament to his expertise in and understanding of the Italian maritime sector. I have no doubt he will be a superb president for the Civitavecchia Port Authority”.