Pedro Solbes

Pedro Solbes Mira
Solbes in 2004
Second Deputy Prime Minister of Spain
In office
18 April 2004 – 7 April 2009
Prime MinisterJosé Luis Rodríguez Zapatero
Preceded byJavier Arenas
Succeeded byElena Salgado
Minister of Economy and Finance of Spain
In office
18 April 2004 – 7 April 2009
Prime MinisterJosé Luis Rodríguez Zapatero
Preceded byRodrigo Rato
Succeeded byElena Salgado
In office
13 July 1993 – 5 May 1996
Prime MinisterFelipe González
Preceded byCarlos Solchaga
Succeeded byRodrigo Rato
European Commissioner for Economic and Monetary Affairs
In office
16 September 1999 – 10 April 2004
Preceded byLeon Brittan
Succeeded byJoaquín Almunia
Personal details
Born
Pedro Solbes Mira

(1942-08-31)31 August 1942
Pinoso (Alicante), Spain
Died18 March 2023(2023-03-18) (aged 80)
Madrid, Spain
Political partySpanish Socialist Workers' Party
Spouse(s)Pilar Castro
Alma materComplutense University of Madrid
ProfessionEconomist

Pedro Solbes Mira (born August 31, 1942) is a Spanish politician and economist. He worked a lot with money and the economy, both in Spain and in the European Union.

Biography

Pedro Solbes was born in Villena, Alicante, Spain. He studied economics at the Complutense University of Madrid, where he graduated. Later, he continued studying economics and finance at other schools in Spain and abroad.

Solbes started working for the Spanish government. In 1973, he began to work in the Ministry of Agriculture. Later, he worked in the Ministry of Economy.

From 1991 to 1993, Pedro Solbes was Spain’s Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food. This means he was in charge of farming, fishing, and food policies in Spain. From 1993 to 1996, he was Spain’s Minister of Economy and Finance during the government of Felipe González. He helped control the country’s money and budget during a difficult time. Then, from 1999 to 2004, Solbes was the European Commissioner for Economic and Monetary Affairs. This job is very important because he helped make decisions about money and the economy for many European countries. He worked with things like the euro currency and the rules for the European Union’s money policies.

In 2004, Pedro Solbes came back to Spain to work again as Minister of Economy and Finance under Prime Minister José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero. He stayed in this job until 2009.

During this time, Spain grew economically, but later there were big problems because of the global financial crisis in 2008. Solbes had to face these challenges while trying to protect Spain’s economy.

After 2009, Solbes left the government. He has worked as a writer, teacher, and speaker about economics. Many people respect him because he understands the economy well and has experience in both Spain and Europe.

Personal life

Pedro Solbes is married and has children. He is known as a calm and serious person who works hard.