Josep Piqué - WikiHQ

Josep Piqué Camps (21 February 1955 – 6 April 2023) was a Spanish politician of the conservative People's Party (PP). He served in ministerial departments under the José María Aznar government. He also helmed the People's Party of Catalonia from 2003 to 2007.

Early life and education

Josep Piqué Camps was born on 21 February 1955 in Vilanova i la Geltrú, province of Barcelona, the son of local politician José Piqué Tetas. He earned a doctorate in Business and Economics and a Law degree from the University of Barcelona.

Piqué was professor at the University of Barcelona between 1978 and 1986, being the tenured professor of Economic Theory from 1984 to 1986. That year, Piqué was named by Catalan president Jordi Pujol, Director General of Industry, an office he held until 1988 when returned to the private sector. His main objective as minister, Piqué remarked that day, would be the reorganization of public enterprise, without ruling out privatization, in order to reduce the public deficit. He also referred to the reorganization of the electricity sector.

Piqué was responsible for the privatizations of large public companies such as Repsol, Telefónica, Endesa and Aceralia.

In this capacity, he also steered Spain's foreign policy during its six-month presidency of the Council of the European Union.

Piqué maintained a clear atlanticist stance and defended Spain's coalition with the U.S. government that precipitated the 2003 invasion of Iraq.

In the face of the 2002 Venezuelan coup d'état attempt, Piqué and the Spanish government maintained a position of support to the institutional legality represented by President Hugo Chávez, but did not treat the event as a coup d'état in spite of having mobilized the Ambassador in Venezuela to hold a meeting with Pedro Carmona. On 15 April he supported the return of Chávez as an "opportunity for democracy" In 2004 Piqué assured that they believed that Carmona, at that time, had assumed the position of President of Venezuela when they were aware of a supposed resignation of Chávez.

Minister of Science and Technology: 2002–2003

As part of a cabinet reshuffle, he was replaced by Ana de Palacio y del Valle-Lersundi and instead took over the Ministry of Science and Technology, which oversees the telecommunications industry. At the time, he was thought to have paid the price for failing to resolve the protracted dispute with the UK over the future of Gibraltar.

In those years he already began to be considered as a possible successor to Aznar in the leadership of the national People's Party, but he was finally sent to lead the People's Party of Catalonia.

In Catalonia

Piqué became president of the People's Party of Catalonia in 2002 and, being a candidate to the Catalan elections of 2003, had the objective of capturing the votes that could be obtained by the ruling Catalanist conservative Convergence and Union party, having maintained a very close relationship with the Catalan establishment.

Piqué was member of the Parliament of Catalonia between 23 December 2003 and 26 July 2007. During this period of time, between 2003 and 2007, he was also senator appointed by the Catalan Parliament. Previously, he had been appointed chief economist in the research department of La Caixa bank, until 1985. From November 2008 until June 2009, Piqué served as member of a six-member panel of EU experts advising the Bulgarian government. Set up by Bulgaria's Prime Minister Sergei Stanishev, the advisory board was chaired by Dominique de Villepin and mandated to recommend ways to help the country adjust to EU membership. In addition, Piqué served on the Political Sponsorship Committee of the Institut de Prospective Economique du Monde Méditerranéen (IPEMED).

In 2009 he launched Pangea21 Consultora Internacional, a small firm in Barcelona to provide consulting services and management advice in all kinds of international business.

Piqué was appointed member of the board of directors of Amadeus IT Group in June 2019.

Personal life and death

Piqué married gynaecologist Margarita Montaner, with whom he had three children, but they divorced.

Piqué died at Hospital 12 de Octubre, in Madrid, on 6 April 2023, at age 68.

Recognition

Piqué's oratory was recognized as sharp and brilliant, and he maintained the policy of dialogue, negotiation and moderate conservatism as the axis of his political mood, as well as defender of the autonomic system. He maintained a profile of a discreet and observant politician.

In September 2023, Piqué was posthumously awarded the Premio In Memoriam in the inaugural Premios Vanguardia, presented at the National Museum of Art of Catalonia in Barcelona in 2023 by the King Felipe of Spain.

References

"Missing the Barcelona bourgeoisie", Josep Piqué, Barcelona Metropolis, 2008.