Madrid/Alicante (EFE)
Solbes was Secretary of State for the European Communities at the time when Spain’s accession to the EU was negotiated (between 1985 and 1991) and, later, Minister of Agriculture (1991-1993) and Economy (1993-1996) in the governments of Felipe González.
He repeated as Minister of Economy and Vice President of the Government with José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero (between 2004 and 2009). The previous five years he was European Commissioner for Economic and Monetary Affairs.
Born in Pinoso, Alicante
Born in Pinoso (Alicante) in 1942, married with three children, Solbes had a doctorate in Political Science and a Law degree, as well as a degree in European Economics from the Institute of European Studies of the Free University of Brussels.
State commercial technician since 1968, his career in the Administration was intense from his first positions as subdelegate and regional delegate of Commerce in Valencia from 1968 to 1973.
From there he became commercial adviser to the Spanish Mission to the European Communities between 1973 and 1978, in Brussels, and Community Relations adviser, from 1978 to 1979, during the Government of Leopoldo Calvo Sotelo.
Later he held the position of General Director of Trade Policy, until 1982, when he became Technical Secretary General of the Ministry of Economy and Finance, a position from which he was part of the negotiating team for the accession of Spain to the European Community, and from there passed to the Secretary of State for the European Communities.
In 1996 he was elected deputy for the socialist list of Alicante, where he was listed as number one, and then he was appointed president of the Mixed Congress-Senate Commission for the EU.
