Monforte was born in
Mallabia, in the province of
Biscay. He studied law at the
University of Valencia and from 1972 to 1977 worked as a lawyer for the
Mondragon Corporation. A member of the Basque Nationalist Party, Monforte was elected to the Congress of Deputies in
1977,
1979 and
1982. In the run-up to the
1986 NATO membership referendum he stated that the origins of the organization were closely linked to democracy, and advocated for a common European defense policy. He also served as
Minister of Health of the
Basque General Council (the predecessor of the current
Basque Government) from 1978 to 1980. In December 1985 he was elected by the
Cortes Generales as one of the sixty
members of the European Parliament for Spain until an election could be held. He served from January 1986 to July 1987. ==References==