In his time as financial vice chairman, Solbes needed to take care of the worldwide monetary disaster
The former vice chairman of the Government within the interval of José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero, Pedro Solbes, has died this Saturday on the age of 80, sources from the PSOE and sources near the household knowledgeable Efe.
Solbes was Secretary of State for the European Communities on 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) within 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). For the earlier 5 years he had been the European Commissioner for Economic and Monetary Affairs.
Born in Pinoso (Alicante) in 1942, married with three youngsters, Solbes had a doctorate in Political Science and a Law diploma, in addition to a level in European Economics from the Institute of European Studies of the Free University of Brussels.
State business technician since 1968, his profession within the Administration was intense from his first positions as subdelegate and regional delegate of Commerce in Valencia from 1968 to 1973.
From there he turned business adviser to the Spanish Mission to the European Communities between 1973 and 1978, in Brussels, and Community Relations adviser, from 1978 to 1979, in the course of the Government of Leopoldo Calvo Sotelo.
Later he held the place of General Director of Trade Policy, till 1982, when he turned Technical Secretary General of the Ministry of Economy and Finance, a place from which he was a part of the negotiating group for the accession of Spain to the European Community, and from there handed to the Secretary of State for the European Communities.
In 1996 he was elected deputy for the socialist listing of Alicante, the place he was listed as primary, after which he was appointed president of the Mixed Commission Congress-Senate for the EU.