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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
- Honoris causa doctorate from the Faculty of Law, University of Coimbra
- 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
- In 1998 he won the PSOE's primary elections to become the party's
candidate for the office of Prime Minister
- 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
- 2004: Elected President of the European Parliament
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.
Josep Borrell was the leader of the Spanish Socialist Delegation within
the European Parliament until his election as President of the European
Parliament on 20 July 2004.
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