Josep Borrell Fontelles

Josep Borrell Fontelles (born April 24, 1947 in La Pobla de Segur), is a Spanish Member of the European Parliament. Elected on the PSC (Party federated with PSOE) ticket, he sits with the Party of European Socialists group, and is the leader of the Spanish delegation.

On July 20th, 2004 he was elected to be the President of the European Parliament. Out of 700 MEPs voting, he received an absolute majority of 388 votes at the first ballot. The other two candidates were the Polish Liberal Bronislaw Geremek (208 votes) and the French communist Francis Wurtz (51 votes). As part of a deal with the conservative faction in the parliament, the EPP, he will be succeeded as president of the parliament by the German conservative politician Hans-Gert Pöttering in the second part of this term, which is in 2007.

Background

Before his election to the European Parliament, Josep Borrell Fontelles was a member of Spain's government with responsibility for fiscal policy.

He left primary school at the age of 10 and up to the age of 16 he studied for his secondary-school leaving certificate at home, whilst working in the family bakery. He is divorced and he has two children.

Academic study and experience

• Degree in aeronautical engineering from the Universidad Politécnica, Madrid

• Doctorate in Economic Sciences from the Universidad Complutense, Madrid

• Master's degree in Energy Economics from the Institut français du Pétrole, Paris

• Master's degree in Applied Mathematics from the University of Stanford (California)

• Professorship in Economic Analysis within the Faculty of Economic Sciences at the Universidad Complutense, Madrid

• Languages: Spanish, French, English, Catalan

Professional and political experience

Between 1972 and 1981 he worked as an engineeer with the Compañía Española de Petróleos and was elected as a trade-union representative.

• 1979: elected as councillor in Spain's first democratic municipal elections

• 1979-1982: Head of Finance within the Madrid Regional Government

• 1982-1984: Secretary-General of the Budget in the first González government

• 1984-1991: Treasury Minister

• 1991-1996: twice Minister for Public Works, Transport and the Environment

• 1986-2004: Member of Congress for Barcelona

• 1999-2004: chairman of the Parliamentary Committee on European Affairs

• 2002-2003: member of the European Convention

On his return from the USA in 1974 he joined the Socialist Party (PSOE), within which he has held the following positions of responsibility:

• 1992-2004: Member of the Partit dels Socialistes de Catalunya National Executive

• 1997-2000: Member of the PSOE Federal Executive

• In 1998 he won the PSOE's primary elections to become the party's candidate for the office of Prime Minister

Experience in European affairs

Throughout his political career, Josep Borrell has been very closely involved with the European Union's integration process and its institutions:

• Initially as a Treasury Minister and subsequently as Minister for Public Works, he negotiated and administered the application of the Structural and Cohesion Funds.

• During Spain's 1989 EU Presidency he chaired the Budget Council meetings and during its 1995 EU Presidency he chaired the Transport, Telecommunications and Environment Council meetings.

• For a 10-year period (from Spain's accession in 1986 until the Socialist Party left government office in 1996) he represented the Spanish Government in the EU Budget, Transport, Telecommunications and Environment Councils of Ministers.

• During Spain's 1996 EU Presidency he appeared before the relevant European Parliament committees as Minister for Public Works, Transport and the Environment.

• From October 1999 to January 2004 he was chairman of the Joint Congress-Senate Committee on European Affairs.

• He was head of the Spanish Parliament's delegation to the COSAC meetings held during the same period and he chaired COSAC during Spain's 2000 EU Presidency.

• Representing the Spanish Parliament as a member of the Convention, he played an active role in the working parties on economic government, social Europe, external policy and defence, and in the think-tank on budget procedure.

• He has published over 100 articles on European issues, he has given lectures and taught doctoral courses on European politics, and he recently published a book about his experiences at the Convention.

At the recent European elections he headed the Socialist Party's list, which secured 43% of the vote and 25 MEPs. This result is the best which the Socialists have ever achieved in the European elections held in Spain and it is almost as good as the result which they achieved in Spain's most recent parliamentary elections.

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