From 2014 to 2019, Caputo was a MEP, representing Southern Italy for Italy's leading centre-left coalition party, the Democratic Party (PD), and was part of the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats.[1] During this period, he was part of the Delegation for relations with the United States.[1] In 2016, he was the MEP with the highest attendance in the European Parliament, missing only one of 3,103 possible votes.[3] He was also a member of the European Parliament Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development.[4]
Caputo stood for re-election in the European Parliament in 2019 but was not elected.[5][6] In July 2019, he was nominated by Vincenzo De Luca as a councillor for agriculture, European affairs, and international relations.[7] That same year, he left the PD and joined Italia Viva (IV).[8] On 27 October 2020, he was nominated assessor for agricultural policy at the Giunta regionale della Campania [it].[9] Starting in 2021, he served as an alternate member of the Committee of Regions.[10]
Caputo stood again for election the European Parliament in 2024 as part of the United States of Europe electoral list, again for Southern Italy; however, he was not elected after the list failed to pass the 4% electoral threshold.[11] On 4 October 2025, he resigned as assessore for agricultural policy,[12] and a few days later defected to the centre-right coalition party Forza Italia (FI).[13][14] In December 2025, he was nominated consigliere for export and internationalization of food processing supply chains and for European policies by the minister of foreign affairs Antonio Tajani.[15][16]
