Profile

Alberto De Franceschi is Full Professor of Private Law at the University of Ferrara (2020-), where he currently holds the Chairs of Consumer and Market Law, and of Digital Law and Environmental Sustainability. At the same University, he has also taught Introduction to Private Law, Property Law and Condominium Law, European Contract Law and International Trade Law.

Vice-Rector for Student Relations at the University of Ferrara (2021–2022).

Lecturer of E-Commerce and Consumer Protection at Bocconi University, Milan (2022–2024).

Lecturer of Digital and Social Sustainability: Legal Issues at Bocconi University, Milan (from 2024).

Ambassador’s Chair of Artificial Intelligence and Sustainability at KU Leuven (2024–2025).

Global Law Professor of Digital Law Facing the Sustainability Challenge at KU Leuven (2022).

Lecturer of EU Digital Law at the Law School of Zhejiang University, Hangzhou (2021–2023).

Distinguished Visiting Professor at the Law Faculty of the University of California, Los Angeles (2024).

 

Ordinary Member of the “Academia Europaea – The Academy of Europe” (since 2023).

Ordinary Member of the “European Academy of Sciences and Arts” (since 2023).

Dean of Class V (Social Sciences, Law and Economics) of the European Academy of Sciences and Arts (2025–2030).

Member of the National University Council at the Ministry of University and Research (2019–2020).

 

Expert of Italy, appointed by the Ministry of Justice, at:

- United Nations Commission for International Trade Law (UNCITRAL) – Working Group IV on E-Commerce (2021-);

- G7 Digital and Technology (2022);

- International Institute for the Unification of Private Law UNIDROIT (2023);

- Hague Conference of Private International Law (2023-);

- Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (2025-).

 

Co-author of the European Commission’s Study for the Fitness Check of EU Consumer and Marketing Law.

Senior Trainer at the School for the Judiciary (Scuola Superiore della Magistratura).

Member of Scientific Committee of “EJNita” project, funded by the European Commission and led by the Italian Ministry of Justice, aimed at fostering the knowledge of European rules on judicial cooperation in civil matters.

 

DAAD-Ladislao-Mittner Award 2015 “For outstanding achievements in legal scholarship and for special merits concerning the cultural dialogue between Italy and Germany”.

 

Founding member and editor in chief of the «Journal of European Consumer and Market Law» (C.H. Beck, Munich / Kluwer Law International, Alphen aan den Rijn / Nomos, Baden-Baden).

Editors' Board Member of the International Journal of Digital Law and Governance (De Gruyter, Berlin).

Associate Editor of «The Italian Law Journal» (Edizioni Scientifiche Italiane, Naples).

 

His research deals with Italian and European Law Obligations and Contracts, with a specific focus on the regulation of the digital economy and on the environmental sustainability.

 

Education

06.07.2005: Master Degree in Law at the University of Padua (with a dissertation on “Sales Contract and Consumer’s Remedies”, supervised by Prof. Giorgio Cian).

 

13.04.2010: PhD in “Italian, European and Comparative Law of Obligations and Contracts” at the University of Ferrara (with a thesis on “Misleading Commercial Practices and Consumer Contracts”, supervised by Prof. Maria Vita De Giorgi. Mark: “Excellent”).

 

2008, 2010, 2012 and 2013: scholarship holder (for a total amount of 29 months) of the Max-Planck-Gesellschalft e.V. at the Max-Planck-Institut für Innovation und Wettbewerb / Max Planck Institute for Innovation and Competition in Munich.

 

2013 and 2014: Visiting Research Fellow at the Institute of European and Comparative Law at the University of Oxford (supervised by Prof. Dr. Stefan Vogenauer).

 

2015, 2016 and 2017: Scholarship Holder of the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation at the Ludwig-Maximilians University of Munich (supervised by Prof. Dr. Hans Christoph Grigoleit).

 

2019: Visiting Fellow at the Law Department of the European University Institute, Florence (supervised by Prof. Dr. Hans-Wolfgang Micklitz).

 

Academic Career

  • 01.10.2015 – 30.9.2018: Assistant Professor of Private Law at the University of Ferrara (Italy).
  • 01.10.2018 – 30.11.2020: Associate Professor of Private Law at the University of Ferrara (Italy).
  • Since 01.12.2020: Full Professor of Private Law, Chair of Private Law, Digital Law and Environmental Sustainability at the University of Ferrara (Italy).
  • 2024-2025: Ambassador’s Chair of Artificial Intelligence and Sustainability at KU Leuven (Belgium).

 

Publications (selected)

Monographs

  • A. De Franceschi, I divieti negoziali di cessione del credito, Edizioni Scientifiche Italiane, Napoli, 2014.
  • A. De Franceschi, La circolazione dei dati personali tra privacy e contratto, Edizioni Scientifiche Italiane, Napoli, 2017.
  • A. De Franceschi, La vendita di beni con elementi digitali, Edizioni Scientifiche Italiane, Napoli, 2019.

 

Edited Collections

  • European Contract Law and the Digital Single Market: The Implications of the Digital Revolution, Intersentia, Cambridge-Antwerp-Portland, 2016.
  • Consumer Sales in Europe, Intersentia, Cambridge-Antwerp-Portland, 2016 (with Giovanni De Cristofaro).
  • Digital Revolution - New Challenges for Law, Beck - Nomos, Munich - Baden-Baden, 2019 (with Reiner Schulze).
  • Algorithmic Regulation and Personalized Law. A Handbook, Beck - Hart - Nomos, Munich - Oxford - Baden-Baden, 2021 (with Christoph Busch).
  • Harmonizing Digital Contract Law. The Impact of EU Directives 2019/770 and 2019/771 and the Regulation of Online Platforms, C.H. Beck, Hart, Nomos, Munich - Oxford - Baden-Baden, 2023 (with Reiner Schulze).
  • The New Shapes of Digital Vulnerability in European Private Law, Nomos, Baden-Baden, 2024 (with Camilla Crea).
  • Green Claims and Greenwashing, Intersentia. Opportunities and Challenges of the New EU Rules, Larcier-Intersentia, 2026 (with Bert Keirsbilck and Evelyne Terryn).
  • Sustainability, Human Rights and Climate Justice, Larcier-Intersentia, 2026 (with William Boyd).
  • The Value of Personal Data in the Digital Economy, Nomos - Hart, 2026 (with Reiner Schulze and Dirk Staudenmayer).

 

Journals

  • International Journal of Digital Law and Governance, De Gruyter, Berlin (co-editor).