Biography

• Born on 14th April 1920 in Potenza.
• Studied Law and was afterwards conferred a doctorate (LLD). After working in the Catholic Action he became Vice President of the Italian Catholic Youth Association. In 1946 at the age of 26 he was elected for the Constituent Assembly.
• From 1948 to 1992 he was a Member of the Italian Parliament without interruption. From 1948 to 1951 he was State Secretary in the Ministry of Public Works, afterwards he held several cabinet posts, amongst others Minister of Agriculture (1955–1958), Minister of Foreign Commerce (1958–1959), Minister of Industry and Trade (1959–1963), Finance Minister (1963–1970 and 1974–1977), Foreign Minister (1980–1982 and 1992–1993).
• From 1970 to 1972 he was Italian Prime Minister, later he became the Italian delegate at the United Nations in the position of a Minister without Portfolio. From 1977 to 1980 he was Member and at the same time President of the European Parliament; from 1989 to 1992 he was again a Member of the European Parliament. As a convinced European and in various functions he was actively involved over a period of almost 40 years in the development of the European integration process.
• Died on 24th June 2013.