Dr. Francesco Bongiorno has extensive experience in the fields of health security, emergency management, and biocontainment. Since 2022, he has served as Safety Manager in the airport sector, with responsibilities for the management of Airport First Aid Units at several national hubs and for the coordination of emergency procedures, with particular focus on biological and infectious risks.

Since 2019, he has acted as Scientific Advisor on biological risk and CBRNe emergencies for the Palermo Medical Association, where he developed the Global Biohazard Management training program. Previously, he held key positions at the Department of Health of the Sicilian Region, contributing to the development of the Migrant Health Contingency Plan in collaboration with the WHO and the Italian Ministry of Health. This plan—later adopted at the European level by Frontex—enabled the management of more than 700,000 migrants arriving on Sicilian shores, including during the Ebola outbreaks in several African countries.

He holds degrees in Environmental Sciences and in Civil and Environmental Engineering, as well as a Master’s in HSE Management. He is a licensed Biologist and is listed in the AGENAS Register of Experts in the epidemiology area.

Acknowledged by both civilian and military institutions for his professional commitment, he has made a significant contribution to advancing the culture of health security and to the training of professionals operating in both civilian and defense contexts.

Avv. Carmelo Elio Costanza

Attorney Carmelo Elio Costanza has been a member of the Palermo Bar Association since 1983 and is the senior partner of his law firm. He specializes in civil law (maritime, banking, insurance, financial, and corporate), contract law, public and private international law, European Union law, and EU procedural law. He has been admitted to practice before the Court of Cassation and the Higher Courts (since 1998) as well as before the Court of Justice of the European Union. From 1982 to 1988, he served as an Honorary Judge, holding the office of Deputy Conciliator in Palermo.

Alongside his professional career, he has pursued an academic path: a tenured university researcher at the Chair of History of Treaties and International Politics in the Faculty of Law, he taught at the Faculty of Political Science of Palermo courses in History of European Integration and History of European Political Institutions (1999–2011), Political Doctrines (graduate program, with courses on Italian International Cooperation, OECD Guidelines, and Governance Ethics), Public Policy Analysis, and History of International Relations (2011–2016). He also took part in international training activities, including an internship at NATO Headquarters in Brussels on the topic “Civil Societies and International Terrorism: Nuclear, Bacteriological, and Chemical Attacks.”
Since 2016, he has been retired from university service due to age limits.

In his professional practice, he has provided legal advice to public entities such as the Ministry of Economic Development, the Finmeccanica Group, the Presidency of the Chamber of Deputies, the Presidency of the Sicilian Region, and the Ministry of the Interior. He has also collaborated with multinational corporations and foreign companies in the fields of large-scale distribution, maritime transport, and international logistics, assisting in entrepreneurial start-up projects, project financing, and renewable energy plants. In 2019, he advised the Embassies of Gabon and Sierra Leone on projects concerning bio-containment and health emergencies; since 2023, he has been providing legal consultancy on agri-photovoltaic plants in Sicily. Since 2024, he has served as consultant for G7 International, a global leader in security and risk management services.

Main Scientific Publications
1. The Right of Legation of International Organizations (a study on diplomatic and consular law).
2. Bordering States in International Law, Palermo.
3. Clarification on the Private International Law Regulation of “Res in Transitu”, in Economia e Credito, no. 2, 1974.
4. The Rules Applicable to an Employment Relationship Not Framed Within the Legal System of the Forum, in Annuario di Diritto Comparato e Studi Legislativi, vol. XLVI, 1975; and in Economia e Credito, no. 1, 1976.
5. Community Regulations and National Rules in Constitutional Court Decision No. 232 of October 30, 1975, in Rivista di Diritto Europeo, no. 2, 1976.

Lawyer Alessandro D’Acquisto
Attorney and executive expert in healthcare law and emergency services management, he holds a degree in Law and a Master’s in Advanced Managerial Training from the Gruppo Sole24 Ore in Milan.
For over twenty years, he has worked in the healthcare sector — first with Siciliana Servizi Emergenza – S.U.E.S. 118, and later at the Regional Department of Health, focusing particularly on emergency and urgent care in smaller islands and disadvantaged areas.
Throughout his career, he has held positions of responsibility such as Chairman of the Examination Commission for the Regional Project “Trinacria”, member of technical committees for the modernization of the 118 emergency system, and Legal and Administrative Manager of the Single Response Center NUE 112 for Eastern Sicily.
Since 2017, he has collaborated with AGENAS (National Agency for Regional Health Services) as an expert in the economic–managerial, legal–administrative, and managerial training areas, also taking part in joint AGENAS–ANAC initiatives for the National Anti-Corruption Plan in Healthcare.