Pasquale Ferrara

In May 2021 he was General Director for Political and Security Affairs of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation.


He graduated in Political Science in 1981 from the “Federico II” University of Naples, and in 1984 he joined the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. He serves at the General Directorate for Italians Abroad, in particular in the issue of disappeared people of Italian origin in Argentina. In 1986 he was in the Minister’s Cabinet in the sector of Relations with Parliament. In 1987 he joined the Office of the Diplomatic Advisor to the President of the Republic.
In 1989 he was at the Italian Embassy in Santiago de Chile. In 1992 he was appointed Consul in Athens. In 1996 he returned to Rome to rejoin the General Secretariat. In 1998 he was Councilor at the Permanent Representation to the EU in Brussels. In 2002 he was First Counselor in Washington. Having returned to Rome, and in 2006 he was head of the Minister’s Press and Spokesperson Service and, since 2009, head of the Analysis and Planning Unit of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Since 2011 he has assumed the role of Secretary General at the European University Institute (IUE) in Fiesole. In 2016 he was Ambassador to Algiers. In 2020 he was promoted Ambassador and Special Envoy to Libya of the Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation. In May 2021 he was General Director for Political and Security Affairs of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation.

He is Commander of the Order of Merit of the Republic.

He speaks fluent English, French and Spanish; he has knowledge of Neo-Greek and German. For many years he has supported the diplomatic service with academic and research activity on the theory and practice of international relations. Among his interests he includes in particular the study of religions.