The President
Born in San Pio delle Camere (L'Aquila) on 9 April 1933.
Married, one son. Resident in Rome. Degree in Law.
Trade Union official.
Formerly official with the Southern Italy development fund Cassa per il Mezzogiorno. Later member of trade union CISL, he held a number of offices and was leader of CISL from1985 to 1991. He was Assistant General Secretary of the International Confederation of Free Trade Unions.
Active member of Azione Cattolica and the Christian Associations of Italian Workers (ACLI).
Organisational Secretary of the Daisy Party.
A member of the Christian Democratic party from the mid-1950s, he was active within the party's Social Left grouping, a component led by Giovanni Gronchi, Giulio Pastore and Carlo Donat Cattin.
Official Positions and Parliamentary Activity
Minister for Labour and Social Security in the 7th Andreotti Cabinet as a non-MP.
Chamber of Deputies - 11th Parliament (1992-1994). Member, Foreign and European Union Affairs Committee; Joint Committee on Constitutional Revision.
Chamber of Deputies - 12th Parliament (1994-1996). Parliamentary Group: Italian People's Party. Member, Standing Committee on Private and Public Labour.
Chamber of Deputies - 13th Parliament (1996-2001). Parliamentary Group: People's Democratic Group-Olive Tree. Member, Foreign and European Union Affairs Committee; Joint Committee on Constitutional Revision.
European Parliament - Fifth Term (1999-2004). Member of the Italian People's Party; Central Italy Constituency; 60,073 votes. Member, Committee on Foreign Affairs, Human Rights, Common Foreign and Security Policy; member, Joint EU-Turkey Committee; susbstitute member, Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs.
Chamber of Deputies - 14th Parliament (2001-2006). Member, Defence Committee (21 June 2001 - 23 July 2004); Labour Committee (23 July 2004 to the end of Parliament).
Previous Elections
1992 (11th Parliament): member of the Chamber of Deputies; Christian Democratic party; Roma-Viterbo-Latina-Frosinone constituency; 116,558 votes.
1994 (12th Parliament): member of the Chamber of Deputies; Italian People's Party; proportional representation share of seats; Abruzzo constituency.
1996 (13th Parliament): member of the Chamber of Deputies; Olive Tree; constituency of Montesilvano, Abruzzo; 39,943 votes (equal to 48.9%). Other lists in coalition: PPI-SVP-PRI-Unione Democratica-Prodi.