Pedro Solbes


Pedro Solbes Mira was a Spanish economist. He was the president of FRIDE, Madrid-based think tank.

Life and career

Solbes was born in Pinoso on 31 August 1942.
While independent in the sense of not being affiliated to any party, his various ministerial roles in Spain were always within Socialist Workers' Party cabinets.
From 1985 to 1991, he was third 3rd secretary of state for the European Communities. He was agriculture and fisheries minister and finance minister in Felipe González's cabinets, also MP representing Alicante for the same party until 1999.
Appointed by Spanish premier José María Aznar, Solbes was a European commissioner for economic and monetary affairs in the European Commission presided over by Romano Prodi.
Then Solbes served as second vice president and minister of economy and finance in the government of José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero, which he held from 2004 to 2009.
Solbes died from cancer on 18 March 2023, at the age of 80.

Other activities