Felipe González Márquez (born 5 March 1942) is a
SpanishSpain , officially the Kingdom of Spain , is a country located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula.
[The Spanish constitution does not establish any official denomination of the country, even though España , Estado español and Nación española are used interchangeably...]
socialistSocialism refers to various theories of economic organization advocating public or direct worker ownership and administration of the means of production and allocation of resources, and a society characterized by equal access to resources for all individuals with a method of compensation based on...
politician. He was the General Secretary of the
Spanish Socialist Workers' PartyThe Spanish Socialist Workers' Party , is the ruling party in Spain and the second oldest, exceeded only by the Partido Carlista, founded in 1833. It identifies itself as a centre-left, social-democratic, democratic socialist and progressivist party....
(PSOE) from 1974 to 1997. To date, he remains the longest-serving
Prime Minister of SpainThe President of the Government of Spain , usually known in English as the Prime Minister of Spain, is the Spanish head of government...
, after having served four successive mandates from 1982 to 1996. He is married and has three children.
Early life
Felipe González was born in
SevilleSeville is the artistic, cultural, and financial capital of southern Spain. It is the capital of Andalusia and of the province of Seville. It is situated on the plain of the River Guadalquivir, with an average elevation of above sea level. The inhabitants of the city are known as Sevillanos or...
, son of a
farmerA farmer is a person who raises living organisms for food or raw materials.- Definition :The term farmer usually applies to a person who grows field crops, and/or manages orchards or vineyards, or raises livestock or poultry such as chicken and cows...
who had a small
dairyA dairy is a facility for the extraction and processing of animal milk—mostly from cows or goats, but also from buffalo, sheep, horses or camels —for human consumption. Typically it is a farm or section of a farm that is concerned with the production of milk, butter and...
. He has a sister named Lola González y Márquez, married to Francisco Germán Palomino y Romera, by whom she has two sons, Felipe and Germán Palomino y González. He studied
LawLaw is a system of rules, usually enforced through a set of institutions. It shapes politics, economics and society in numerous ways and serves as a primary social mediator of relations between people. Contract law regulates everything from buying a bus ticket to trading on derivatives markets...
at Seville University and started his career as attorney specializing in labour. While at the University he met members of the socialist Trade Union
UGTUGT may mean:* União Geral de Trabalhadores, the General Union of Workers * Unión General de Trabajadores, the General Workers' Union * Unión General de Trabajadores, the General Union of Workers of Spain....
(Union General de Trabajadores) that was clandestine at the time. He also contacted members of the PSOE and started taking part in the Party's clandestine activity. During that time he adopted "Isidoro" as
nom de guerre and moved to Madrid. He was elected Secretary General of the Party at the
SuresnesSuresnes is a commune in the western suburbs of Paris, France. It is located . from the center of Paris. It is one of the most densely populated municipalities in Europe. The nearest communes are Neuilly-sur-Seine, Puteaux, Rueil-Malmaison, Saint-Cloud and Boulogne-Billancourt...
Congress, in France. When Franco died, Gonzalez became the prominent head of the opposing movement to the remnants of the dictatorship, and was capital, along with then serving prime minister
Adolfo SuarezDon Adolfo Suárez y González, 1st Duke of Suárez, Grandee of Spain, KOGF was Spain's first democratically elected prime minister after the dictatorship of Francisco Franco, and the key figure in the country's transition to democracy.-Parents:He is a son of Hipólito Suárez y … and...
, in the
Spanish transition to democracyThe Spanish transition to democracy was the era when Spain moved from the dictatorship of Francisco Franco to a liberal democratic state. The transition is usually said to have begun with Franco’s death on November 20, 1975, while its completion has been variously said to be marked by the Spanish...
. In the first democratic general election after Franco's death, held in 1977, the PSOE became the second most voted party, and this served Gonzalez to appear as a young, active and promising leader. However, he did not win the 1979 election and had to wait for 1982 and the debacle of the governing UCD party to come into office.
Prime Minister
In the
1982 general electionGeneral elections were held in Spain on 28 October 1982.PSOE and PSC presented two different lists of candidates: with the PSOE contesting most of Spain and the PSC only standing in Catalonia...
held on 28 October 1982, the PSOE gained 48.3% of the vote and 202 deputies (out of 350). On 2 December González became the prime minister, with
Alfonso GuerraAlfonso Guerra González is a Spanish politician. A leading member of the Spanish Socialist Workers' Party , he served as Vice President of the Government of Spain from 1982 to 1991, under the presidency of Felipe González...
as his deputy. His election was met with tremendous expectation of change amongst Spaniards. Under his government education was made universal and free until the age of 16, university education was expanded, the
social securitySocial security is primarily a social insurance program providing social protection, or protection against socially recognized conditions, including poverty, old age, disability, unemployment and others. Social security may refer to:...
system began and a partial legalisation of
abortionAn abortion is the termination of a pregnancy by the removal or expulsion from the uterus of a fetus or embryo. An abortion can occur spontaneously due to complications during pregnancy or can be induced, in humans and other species...
became law for the first time, despite opposition from the
Roman Catholic ChurchThe Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church. With more than a billion members, over half of all Christians and more than one-sixth of the world's population, the Catholic Church is a communion of the Western, or Latin Rite Church, and...
. González pushed for liberal reforms and a restructuring of the economy.
On 23 February 1983, the Government passed a law nationalising
RumasaRumasa was a holding company founded by Spanish entrepreneur José María Ruiz Mateos and expropriated by the Spanish government on February 23, 1983.In 1982 Rumasa constituted 2% of the Spanish GDP...
, a private business that included merchant banking interests, on the grounds that it was at the point of bankruptcy and the government needed to protect the savings of depositors and the jobs of its 60,000 employees, a decision that aroused considerable criticism and a judicial conflict over the law that was only resolved, in favour of the government, in December 1986.
Having promised in the election to create 800,000 new jobs his government's restructuring of the
steelSteel is an alloy consisting mostly of iron, with a carbon content between 0.2% and 2.1% by weight, depending on the grade. Carbon is the most cost-effective alloying material for iron, but various other alloying elements are used such as manganese, chromium, vanadium, and tungsten...
industry actually resulted in job lay offs. When they tried to similarly tackle the debt problems in the
dockA dock is a man-made feature involved in the handling of boats or ships. However the exact meaning varies between different variants of the English language.-History:...
industry in 1984 the dockers went on
strikeStrike action, often simply called a strike, is a work stoppage caused by the mass refusal of employees to perform work. A strike usually takes place in response to employee grievances. Strikes became important during the industrial revolution, when mass labour became important in factories and mines...
. The (UGT), or Workers' General Union, called a general strike on 20 June 1985 in protest against social security reforms. The same year his government began a massive privatisation both partial or full, of the 200 state owned companies, as well as the hundreds of affiliates dependent on these companies.
In the
1986 general electionGeneral elections were held in Spain on 23 June 1986. In this election, the Communist Party of Spain merged with other minor left parties to form the coalition Izquierda Unida; in Catalonia they ran as the Catalan Left Union. Similarly, the People's Alliance merged with two other conservative...
held on 22 June 1986, the PSOE gained 44.1% of the vote and 184 deputies in Parliament. González was elected prime minister for the second time. During this second term, Spain joined the
European Economic CommunityThe European Economic Community was an international organisation that existed between 1958 and 1993 which was created to bring about economic integration between Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Luxembourg and the Netherlands.It was...
(EEC) in 1986. González supported Spain remaining in
NATOThe North Atlantic Treaty Organization ); ), also called "the Atlantic Alliance", is an intergovernmental military alliance based on the North Atlantic Treaty which was signed on April 4, 1949...
that same year in a
referendumA referendum , ballot question, or plebiscite is a direct vote in which an entire electorate is asked to either accept or reject a particular proposal...
reversing his and the party's earlier anti-NATO position. A general strike on 14 December 1988 completely paralysed the country and caused the Unions and the PSOE left wing to describe González as moving to the right.
On 29 October 1989, he won the
1989 general election-Results:-External links:**...
with 39.6% of the vote and 175 seats, his third successive mandate. In the First Gulf War in 1991, González supported the USA. From 1991, the PSOE started losing its urban vote in favour of the reformed
People's PartyThe People's Party is the main Right-wing political party in Spain.The People's Party was a re-foundation of the Popular Alliance , a party led and founded by Manuel Fraga Iribarne, a former Minister of Tourism during Francisco Franco's dictatorship and a politician known to have relatively...
. On the other side, events like the 1992 Olympic Games held in Barcelona or the Universal Exposition in Seville helped consolidating Spain´s international image as a modern, affluent country.
On 6 June 1993, González won the
1993 general election-Results:-External links:*...
with 38.8% of the vote and 159 deputies. His fourth victory was marred by the fact he was forced to form a pact with nationalist political parties from
CataloniaCatalonia is an Autonomous Community in northeast Spain. The capital city is Barcelona.Catalonia covers an area of 32,114 km² and has an official population of 7,364,078. It borders France and Andorra to the north, Aragon to the west, the Valencian Community to the south, and the...
and
Basque countryThe Basque Country is an Autonomous Community of northern Spain.The Basque Country was granted the status of historical region within Spain with the Spanish Constitution of 1978...
in order to form a new government.
Towards the end of 1995 there was a debate about whether González should lead the PSOE in the forthcoming general elections. The People's Party intensified its campaign to associate his period in office with a poor economic situation (although unemployment had begun to decline and the economic reforms of the previous decade initiated a lasting period of economic growth http://www.ine.es/daco/daco42/cne00/pib.xls#Tabla_2!A1) and with accusations of
corruptionPolitical corruption is the use of legislated powers by government officials for illegitimate private gain. Misuse of government power for other purposes, such as repression of political opponents and general police brutality, is not considered political corruption. Neither are illegal acts by...
and
state terrorismState terrorism refers to acts of terrorism conducted by governments. Like the definition of terrorism and that of state-sponsored terrorism, the definition of state terrorism remains controversial and without international consensus.-Definition:...
scandals, including allegations of waging a dirty war against the terrorist group
ETAor ETA , is a terrorist, criminal, Basque nationalist and separatist organization. Founded in 1959, it evolved from a group advocating traditional cultural ways to a paramilitary group with the goal of independence for the greater Basque Country from a Marxist-Leninist perspective.Since 1968, ETA...
by means of the
GALGrupos Antiterroristas de Liberación were death squads illegally set up by officials of the Spanish government to fight ETA. They were active from 1983 until 1987, under PSOE's cabinets. It was proven in a judicial trial that they were financed and backed by key officials within the Spanish...
. There was speculation in the press about
Javier SolanaFrancisco Javier Solana de Madariaga, Ph.D. is the High Representative for the Common Foreign and Security Policy and the Secretary-General of both the Council of the European Union and the Western European Union . He was named Secretary General of the 10 permanent member Western European Union...
as a possible replacement, but Solana was appointed Secretary General of
NATOThe North Atlantic Treaty Organization ); ), also called "the Atlantic Alliance", is an intergovernmental military alliance based on the North Atlantic Treaty which was signed on April 4, 1949...
in December 1995.
Left with no other suitable candidate, the party was again led by González and in the 1996 general election held on 3 March 1996, they gained 37.4% of the vote and 141 deputies. They lost the election to the
People's PartyThe People's Party is the main Right-wing political party in Spain.The People's Party was a re-foundation of the Popular Alliance , a party led and founded by Manuel Fraga Iribarne, a former Minister of Tourism during Francisco Franco's dictatorship and a politician known to have relatively...
whose leader
José María Aznarserved as the Prime Minister of Spain from 1996 to 2004. He is currently on the board of directors of News Corporation.-Early life:...
replaced González as prime minister ("presidente" in
SpanishSpanish or Castilian is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that originated in northern Spain and gradually spread in the Kingdom of Castile, evolving into the principal language of government and trade in the Iberian peninsula...
, but not to be confused with the English use of the term) on 4 or 5 May 1996.
The legacy of Felipe González's long mandate left a bittersweet taste: on the one hand, under his tenure, Spain initiated a period of thorough modernisation; on the other hand the scandals that monopolized the news in his last years still preclude a dispasionate consideration of his tenure. His Ministers of Economy and Finance (notably Miguel Boyer, Carlos Solchaga and
Pedro SolbesPedro Solbes Mira is a Spanish economist. While independent in the sense of not affiliated to any party, his various ministerial roles in Spain have always been within Socialist Workers' Party cabinets...
) implemented a vigorous program of economic reforms that included privatization of public companies such as Telefónica or ENDESA, liberalization and deregulation of the economy and restructuring of whole industry sectors such as steel or mining which left many people unemployed and created resentment among the working classes and the trade unions. This situation was worsened by the massive influx of women baby boomers into the labour market, which further increased the unemployment rates.
His cabinets, on the other hand, paved the way to a long period of declining interest rates, low budgetary deficits and stronger economic growth than the European average. Spain was a founding member of the transition to the single currency (
EuroThe euro is the official currency of 16 of the 27 Member States of the European Union . The states, known collectively as the Eurozone, are Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia and Spain...
) based on the measures of his last government. Other reforms had also a deep impact on the Spanish economy,such as the extension of a network of highways, airports and the creation of new infrastructures,including the high speed train. Gonzalez-led cabinets were the first to implement a national, comprehensive infrastructure program. Besides, under his tenure certain social benefits such as free universal health care were expanded, reform of the pension system extended it to needy people and universal public schooling came in for all children under 16 and the creation of new Universities was implemented.
Felipe González also secured Spain's entry into the EEC, which the country joined in 1986 and consolidated democratic government. Together with François Mitterrand and Helmut Kohl, they gave an injection of new life to Europe's public face. In the terrorist fight, an intense police campaign secured several victories that left the terrorist organisation ETA severely debilitated. Among those were the capture of the ETA central arsenal in Sokoa and the capture of the organisation's ruling cupola in 1992.
However in the final years of his mandate several cases of corruption, the most notable of which were the scandals involving Civil Guard Director Roldán, further eroded popular support for the PSOE. Nonetheless González and most of his ministers generally managed to leave office with their reputation intact although there had been some singularly unfortunate choices made in the case of some of the lower ranking public servants, according to María Antonia Iglesias (
La memoria recuperada. Lo que nunca han contado Felipe González y los dirigentes socialistas, 2003);this author is very close, though, to the PSOE official line, since she even served as head of the public TV broadcast
Televisión EspañolaTelevisión Española is the national state-owned public-service television broadcaster in Spain. TVE's activities are financed by a combination of advertising revenue and subsidies from the national government, but it'll become only supported by the national subsides by january 2010.TVE belongs to...
appointed in the post by one of the Gonzalez's cabinets.
González's Government 1982–1996
| Cargo | Titular |
|---|
| President of Government |
- Felipe González
Felipe González Márquez is a Spanish socialist politician. He was the General Secretary of the Spanish Socialist Workers' Party from 1974 to 1997. To date, he remains the longest-serving Prime Minister of Spain, after having served four successive mandates from 1982 to 1996...
|
| Vice president of Government of Spain |
(1982 - 1991): Alfonso Guerra Alfonso Guerra González is a Spanish politician. A leading member of the Spanish Socialist Workers' Party , he served as Vice President of the Government of Spain from 1982 to 1991, under the presidency of Felipe González...
(1991 - 1995): Narcís Serra
(1995 - 1996): without appoint |
| Minister of Foreign Affairs |
(1982 - 1985): Fernando Morán
(1985 - 1992): Francisco Fernández Ordóñez Francisco Fernández Ordóñez was a Spanish politician who became Minister for Foreign Affairs in the Spanish Socialist Workers' Party government of Felipe González from 1985 until shortly before his death from a terminal illness in 1992...
(1992 - 1995): Javier SolanaFrancisco Javier Solana de Madariaga, Ph.D. is the High Representative for the Common Foreign and Security Policy and the Secretary-General of both the Council of the European Union and the Western European Union . He was named Secretary General of the 10 permanent member Western European Union...
(1995 - 1996): Carlos WestendorpCarlos Westendorp y Cabeza is a Spanish diplomat.Since 2004 he has been the Spanish Ambassador to the United States. He was previously the foreign minister of Spain, from December 1995 to May 1996, and High Representative in Bosnia and Herzegovina, from June 1997 to July 1999.He was responsible...
|
| Minister of Justice |
(1982 - 1988): Fernando Ledesma Bartret
(1988 - 1991): Enrique Múgica Herzog
(1991 - 1993): Tomás de la Quadra-Salcedo
(1993 - 1996): Juan Alberto Belloch |
| Minister of Defence |
(1982 - 1991): Narcís Serra
(1991 - 1995): Julián García Vargas
(1995 - 1996): Gustavo Suárez |
| Minister of Economy and Finance |
(1982 - 1985): Miguel Boyer
(1985 - 1993): Carlos Solchaga
(1993 - 1996): Pedro Solbes Pedro Solbes Mira is a Spanish economist. While independent in the sense of not affiliated to any party, his various ministerial roles in Spain have always been within Socialist Workers' Party cabinets...
|
| Minister of Interior |
(1982 - 1988): José Barrionuevo
(1988 - 1993): José Luis Corcuera
(1993 - 1994): Antoni Asunción
(1994 - 1996): Juan Alberto Belloch |
| Minister of Publics Works/since 1991 Minister of Publics Works and Transports |
(1982 - 1985): Julián Campos
(1985 - 1991): Javier Saenz de Cosculluela
(1991 - 1996): Josep Borrell Josep Borrell Fontelles is a Spanish Catalan politician. He was nominated President of the European University Institute on 12 December 2008. He will assume this position in January 2010. Borrell was President of the European Parliament from 20 July 2004 until 16 January 2007...
|
| Minister of Education and Science |
(1982 - 1988): José M. Maravall
(1988 - 1992): Javier SolanaFrancisco Javier Solana de Madariaga, Ph.D. is the High Representative for the Common Foreign and Security Policy and the Secretary-General of both the Council of the European Union and the Western European Union . He was named Secretary General of the 10 permanent member Western European Union...
(1992 - 1993): Alfredo Pérez RubalcabaAlfredo Pérez Rubalcaba is the present Interior minister within the present Spanish government, led by the PSOE. He obtained a doctorate in chemistry at the Complutense University in Madrid, where he went on to become a professor of chemistry. His speciality was reaction mechanisms in organic...
(1993 - 1995): Gustavo Suárez
(1995 - 1996): Jerónimo SaavedraJerónimo Saavedra Acevedo is a Spanish politician. He served as President of the Canary Islands from 1983 to 1987, and again from 1991 to 1993....
|
| Minister of Work and Security Social |
(1982 - 1986): Joaquín Almunia Joaquín Almunia Amann is a Spanish politician and prominent member of the European Commission, responsible for Economic and Monetary Affairs.Born in Bilbao, he is married and has two children...
(1986 - 1990): Manuel ChavesManuel Chaves may refer to:* Manuel Antonio Chaves , figure in U.S.-Navajo and U.S. Civil War history* Manuel Chaves González , Third Vice President of the Spanish Government* Manuel Chaves Nogales, Spanish journalist...
(1990 - 1993): Luis Martínez Noval
(1993 - 1996): José A. Griñán |
| Minister of Industry and Energy |
(1982 - 1988): Carlos Solchaga
(1988 - 1986): Joan Majó
(1986 - 1989): Luis C. Croissier
(1989 - 1993): Carlos Aranzadi
(1993 - 1996): Juan M Eguiagaray |
| Minister of Agriculture, fishing and Eating |
(1982 - 1991): Carlos Romero Carlos Romero is an American actor, noted for his many appearances on television. In addition to his many television appearances, he also acted in several movies including They Came to Cordura, Island of the Blue Dolphins, The Professionals, The Appaloosa, and the cult classic, Soylent...
(1991 - 1993): Pedro SolbesPedro Solbes Mira is a Spanish economist. While independent in the sense of not affiliated to any party, his various ministerial roles in Spain have always been within Socialist Workers' Party cabinets...
(1993 - 1994): Vicente AlberoVicente Albero is a Spanish politician and economist.Albero graduated in the Social Sciences and Economic Sciences from the Universidad Complutense de Madrid. He was a member of the Frente de Liberación Popular during the Franco dictatorship. Later he joined the Partido Socialista Obrero Español...
(1994 - 1996): Luis M Atienza |
| Minister of Presidency |
(1982 - 1986): Javier Moscoso
(1986 - 1993): Virgilio Zapatero
(1995 - 1996): Alfredo Pérez Rubalcaba Alfredo Pérez Rubalcaba is the present Interior minister within the present Spanish government, led by the PSOE. He obtained a doctorate in chemistry at the Complutense University in Madrid, where he went on to become a professor of chemistry. His speciality was reaction mechanisms in organic...
|
| Minister of Publics Administrations |
(1982 - 1985): Tomás de la Quadra-Salcedo
(1985 - 1986): Félix Pons
(1986): Javier Moscoso (acting minister from Pons' appointment as chairman of the Parliament to Almunia's swearing-in ceremony)
(1986 - 1991): Joaquín Almunia Joaquín Almunia Amann is a Spanish politician and prominent member of the European Commission, responsible for Economic and Monetary Affairs.Born in Bilbao, he is married and has two children...
(1991 - 1993): José M. Eguiagaray
(1993 - 1995): Jerónimo SaavedraJerónimo Saavedra Acevedo is a Spanish politician. He served as President of the Canary Islands from 1983 to 1987, and again from 1991 to 1993....
(1995 - 1996): Joan LermaJoan Lerma i Blasco is a Spanish politician for the Spanish Socialist Workers' Party , who served as the first democratically elected President of the Valencian Community since the restoration of democracy in the 1970s....
|
| Minister of Culture A culture minister is a Cabinet position in some governments responsible for protecting the national heritage of a country and promoting cultural expression....
|
(1982 - 1986): Javier SolanaFrancisco Javier Solana de Madariaga, Ph.D. is the High Representative for the Common Foreign and Security Policy and the Secretary-General of both the Council of the European Union and the Western European Union . He was named Secretary General of the 10 permanent member Western European Union...
(1986 - 1991): Jorge SemprúnJorge Semprún Maura is a Spanish writer and politician. His mother Susana Maura Gamazo was a daughter of Antonio Maura.- Career :...
(1991 - 1993): Jordi Solé
(1993 - 1996): Carmen AlborchCarmen Alborch Bataller is a Spanish politician, actress, writer and former Minister of Culture....
|
| Minister of Health and Consumption |
(1982 - 1986): Ernest Lluch Ernest Lluch Martín, was a Spanish economist and politician from Catalonia. He was Minister of Health and Consumption from 1982-1986 in the first post-Francisco Franco Spanish Socialist Workers' Party government of Felipe González...
(1986 - 1991): Julián García Vargas
(1991 - 1992): Julián García Valverde
(1992 - 1993): José A. Griñán
(1993 - 1996): Ángeles Amador |
| Minister Socials Affairs |
(1988 - 1993 ): Matilde Fernández
(1993 - 1996 ): Cristina Alberdi Cristina Alberdi is a Spanish politician and lawyer.Graduating in Law, from 1970 she was a lawyer of the Colegio de Abogados , and in 1975 organized a feminist legal group...
|
| Minister of Transports/until 1991 after include in Ministry of Publics Works |
(1982 - 1985): Enrique Barón
(1985 - 1988): Abel Caballero Abel Ramón Caballero Álvarez is a Spanish professor of Economics and the current Mayor of Vigo....
(1988 - 1991): José Barrionuevo |
| Spokesman of Government |
(1982 - 1985): Eduardo Sotillo
(1985 - 1988): Javier SolanaFrancisco Javier Solana de Madariaga, Ph.D. is the High Representative for the Common Foreign and Security Policy and the Secretary-General of both the Council of the European Union and the Western European Union . He was named Secretary General of the 10 permanent member Western European Union...
(1988 - 1993): Rosa Conde
(1993 - 1996): Alfredo Pérez RubalcabaAlfredo Pérez Rubalcaba is the present Interior minister within the present Spanish government, led by the PSOE. He obtained a doctorate in chemistry at the Complutense University in Madrid, where he went on to become a professor of chemistry. His speciality was reaction mechanisms in organic...
|
| Presidents of Congress of Deputies |
(1982 - 1986): Gregorio Peces-Barba
(1986 - 1996): Félix Pons |
| Presidents of Senate |
(1982 - 1993): José Federico de Carvajal
(1989 - 1996): Juan José Laborda Martín |
After the presidency
González ended his fourth term on 4 May 1996. Since September 1996 he has headed the Madrid-based Global Progress Foundation (FPG). At the beginning of the 34th PSOE National Congress on 20 June 1997 he surprisingly resigned as leader of the party. He also resigned from the federal executive committee, though retaining his seat in the Congress. With no clear successor he continued to exert an enormous influence over the party. He was only replaced at the 35th party Congress in July 2000 when
José Luis Rodríguez ZapateroJosé Luis Rodríguez Zapatero , better known by his maternal surname Zapatero or ZP, is the current President of the Government of Spain...
became the leader.
In 1997 he was considered a leading candidate to take over the position of
President of the European CommissionThe President of the European Commission is the most powerful office in the European Union, as the head of the European Commission, the executive branch of the European Union. The President is responsible for allocating portfolios to members of the Commission and can reshuffle or fire them if needed...
after
Jacques SanterJacques Santer is a politician from Luxembourg.He was finance minister of Luxembourg from 1979 until 1989, and Prime Minister of Luxembourg from 1984 to 1995, as a member of the Christian Social People's Party, which has been the leading party in the Luxembourg government since 1979...
. The position ultimately went to Italy's
Romano Prodiis an Italian politician and statesman. He served as President of the Council of Ministers of Italy twice, from 17 May 1996 to 21 October 1998 and from 17 May 2006 to 8 May 2008. He was also President of the European Commission from 1999 to 2004.Prodi ran in 1996 as Olive Tree candidate, winning...
.
In 1999 González was put in charge of the party's Global Progress Commission in response to
globalisationGlobalization describes an ongoing process by which regional economies, societies, and cultures have become integrated through a globe-spanning network of communication and exchange....
. The Commission's report formed the basis of the closing declaration of the 21st Socialist International Congress on 8 November–9 1999.
He stood down as a deputy in the Spanish Parliament in March 2004.
On 27 July 2007 the Spanish Government appointed him as plenipotentiary and extraordinary ambassador for the bicentenary celebrations in commemoration of the independence of Latin America. The celebrations will begin in September 2010 in Mexico.
On 14 December 2007 heads of state and governments of European Union members, in a summit held in Brussels, appointed Gonzalez as chairman of a
think tankA think tank is an organization, institute, corporation, or group that conducts research and engages in advocacy in areas such as social policy, political strategy, economy, science or technology issues, industrial or business policies, or military advice...
on Europe's future, consisting of up to nine well-prestiged personalities,and given the task of writing a report, by June 2010, on the challenges the European Union will face from 2020 to 2030. It will also look at how to achieve a closer understanding between citizens and the Union.
One of his hobbies is tending
bonsai' is the art of aesthetic miniaturization of trees, or of developing woody or semi-woody plants shaped as trees, by growing them in containers. Cultivation includes techniques for shaping, watering, and repotting in various styles of containers.'Bonsai' is a Japanese pronunciation of the earlier...
trees. During his tenure at
MoncloaThe Moncloa Palace , located in Madrid, has been the official residence for the President of the Government of Spain since 1977, when Adolfo Suárez moved the residence from a palace located in downtown Madrid on the Paseo de la Castellana. The residence is surrounded by several other buildings...
, he received and cultivated several of them, mostly Mediterranean species, that he later donated to the Royal Botanic Garden of Madrid.
Member of the
Club of MadridThe Club of Madrid is an independent organization created for the purpose of promoting democracy and change in the global community. Its exclusive members are of exceptional merit, usually former heads of state and government who have the ability to work as catalysts for change...
.
Marriage and family
He married María del Carmen Julia Romero y López in
SevilleSeville is the artistic, cultural, and financial capital of southern Spain. It is the capital of Andalusia and of the province of Seville. It is situated on the plain of the River Guadalquivir, with an average elevation of above sea level. The inhabitants of the city are known as Sevillanos or...
on 16 July 1969 and had three children:
- Pablo González Romero
- David González Romero
- María González Romero
Published works
(co-authorship with Víctor Márquez Reviriego, 1982) (1997) (co-authorship with Juan Luis Cebrián, 2001) (2003)
External links
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