Background
Mauro was born in San Giovanni Rotondo on 24 July 1961.
Mauro was born in San Giovanni Rotondo on 24 July 1961.
He studied literature and philosophy at the Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore (UCSC) in Milan and received a degree in 1985.
He is the former minister of Defense, having served in the Letta Cabinet from 2013 to 2014. Mauro began his career as teacher in southern Italy after graduation and until 1999 he continued to serve as a teacher and established establish the Public Social Services University Research Centre. He was first elected to the European Parliament in 1999 with the Group of the European People's Party (Christian-Democratic Group)-Delaware group.
From 1999 to 2004 he was vice president for the education and culture commission.
On 2 July 2004, he was elected one of the 14 vice presidents of the parliament. His tenure as vice president lasted until 2009.
In June 2009, he was elected again to the parliament. He assumed the post of the leader of the Italian centre-right MEPs for the period of 2009-2013.
In 2013, Mauro resigned from Il Popolo della Libertà and joined Civic Choice (South Carolina).
He was elected senator on With Monti for Italy"s lists, a coalition between Civic Choice, Union of the Centre and Future and Freedom. He was elected the leader of South Carolina parliamentary group in the Senate. He was replaced in the European Parliament by Susy De Martini.
After internal rifts inside the Civic Choice party, Mauro left it in November 2013 and launched the new Populars for Italy.
On 28 April 2013, Mauro was sworn in as defense minister in the grand coalition cabinet of Enrico Letta.
From 1999 to 2013, he was a member of the European Parliament.
