The death of the former minister Josep Piqué has shocked us all. At only 68 years old, he has left us a wise person, with a friendly treatment and a great connoisseur of the world of economics and business.
His professional career, marked by politics and business, is extensive. Between 1986 and 1988 he was General Director of Industry of the Generalitat de Catalunya. In 1996 he was appointed Minister of Industry and two years later he combined his position with that of spokesman for the Spanish government. In the following legislature, he held the portfolios of Foreign Affairs between 2000 and 2002 and that of Science and Technology from 2002 to 2003.
In 2002 he landed in Catalan politics, being elected president of the Popular Party of Catalonia. In July 2007, he left active politics and launched his business career. He was president of Ercros, Vueling and the CÃrculo de EconomÃa and a member of the boards of directors of OHL, SEAT, ITP Aero, Aena and Abengoa.
Doctor in Economic and Business Sciences and a Law graduate from the University of Barcelona, ​​Josep Piqué also stands out for his teaching work and his master’s degree in teaching economics as a professor at the University of Barcelona.
His multiple facets made him a very relevant person in the economic and business panorama of our country. Undoubtedly, a benchmark for economics and business professionals, whom we represent from the Col.legi d’Economistes de Catalunya.
I would like to take this opportunity to thank former Minister Josep Piqué for his association with the Col.legi d’Economistes de Catalunya as a member since 1980. His more than 40 years of membership are a source of pride for the institution and for the members who we form the Col.legi d’Economistes de Catalunya.
Josep Piqué has always claimed the role and relevance of professionals in the economy and society. In Catalonia, we represent 28% of the occupation, we contribute 40% of salary remunerations and 35% of the mixed income of self-employed workers and individual entrepreneurs, with more than 47% of personal income tax generated in Catalonia and 38% of contributions social, which places our contribution to Gross Value Added (VAB) at around 25%.
As dean of the Col.legi d’Economistes de Catalunya, I allow myself to place special value on the profession of economist which, being relatively young, clearly stands out for its transversality. In just a few years, we economists have managed to position ourselves in all spheres of society and the economy.
Josep Piqué was a very clear example of the transversality of the figure of the economist with his passage through the world of administration, business and teaching. A benchmark for present and future generations of economics and business professionals and a demonstration of the great contribution of economists to society. Rest in peace!
