Born in 1957 in Palermo, Sicily. He studied as a lawyer and started his career in politics in 1994 with the Forza Italia Party. Elected in the Quartu Sant’Elena district from 1994 to 1995, he was firstly Under Secretary for the Economy Ministry with the first Government of Silvio Berlusconi and later, from 1996 to 2001, re-elected to the Chamber of Deputies as Secretary of the Budget Committee. He also managed the membership of the Forza Italia Party. He was re-elected from 2001 until 2006 and assumed the position of Under Secretary for the Ministry of Defence, achieving the abolition of the mandatory military service and establishing a professional army. He was Vice-President of the Defence Committee of the Chamber of Deputies from 2006-2008, PDL Party Coordinator in the same committee from 2008-2013, and took up the post of Chairman of the Committee on Legislation from 2013-2014. MEP since 2014.