Tomorrow’s Threats, Today’s Priorities: Setting the EU’s Defence Strategy
- Led by:Sylvie Kauffmann
Guido Crosetto was born in Cuneo on 19 September 1963. He began his political activity as Regional Secretary of the youth movement within the Christian Democratic Party and was also the National Education Officer.
In 1990, he was elected Mayor of the City of Marene (CN), remaining in office until 2004.
From 1999 to 2009, he was a Provincial Councillor of the Province of Cuneo, serving as Forza Italia group leader. Once elected as a Member of Parliament for the Forza Italia party in the 14th Parliament (2001 – 2006), he served in the following parliamentary committees: Permanent Committee on Budget, Treasury and Planning; Committee of Inquiry into the Telekom Serbia Affair; Committee for the General Direction and Supervision of Radio and Television Services; Oversight Committee for the Cassa Depositi e Prestiti (deposits and loans fund).
He was elected a Member of Parliament in the 15th Parliament and became a member of the Permanent Committee on Budget, Treasury and Planning. In the 16th Parliament, again as an MP for the Popolo delle Libertà party, he took office as Undersecretary of State for Defence in the fourth Berlusconi government from 12 May 2008 to 16 November 2011. At the end of his term as Undersecretary, he was appointed as a member of the Foreign and Community Affairs Commission and then of the Budget, Treasury and Planning Commission.
On 14 November 2012, he received the Gold Medal of Merit of the Italian Red Cross. In December 2012, he founded Fratelli d’Italia (Brothers of Italy) with Giorgia Meloni and Ignazio La Russa and served as National Coordinator until 2014. In 2014, he was appointed President of AIAD, the Federation of Italian Companies for Aerospace, Defence and Security.
In 2018, he was elected as a Member of Parliament in the 18th Parliament in the ranks of Fratelli d’Italia. At the same time, he was appointed as a member of the Budget, Treasury and Planning Commission. However, he resigned as an MP on 13 March 2019 and simultaneously as the National Coordinator of Fratelli d’Italia. He has been the Minister of Defence of Italy since 22 October 2022. At the same time, he was appointed Chancellor and Treasurer of the Military Order of Italy.