Josep Huguet i Biosca (born 8 March 1951) was Minister of Trade, Tourism and Consumer Affairs of the Generalitat de Catalunya from 20 October 2004 until 12 May 2006 and Minister of Innovation, Universities and Enterprise of the Generalitat de Catalunya[1] from 29 November 2006 to 29 December 2010.

Josep Huguet i Biosca
Minister of Innovation, Universities and Enterprise of the Generalitat de Catalunya
In office
29 November 2006 – 29 December 2010
PresidentJosé Montilla
Preceded byAntoni Castells
(as Minister of Economy and Finance)
Jordi Valls i Riera
(as Minister of Employment and Industry)
Succeeded byFrancesc Xavier Mena i López
(as Minister of Enterprise and Employment)
Andreu Mas-Colell
(as Minister of Economy and Knowledge)
Minister of Trade, Tourism and Consumer Affairs of the Generalitat de Catalunya
In office
16 October 2004 – 11 May 2006
PresidentPasqual Maragall
Preceded byPere Esteve
Succeeded byAntoni Castells
As Minister of Economy and Finance
Jordi Valls i Riera
As Minister of Employment and Industry
Personal details
Born (1951-03-08) 8 March 1951 (age 73)
Manresa, Catalonia, Spain
Political partyERC

Education and professional background

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He has an Industrial Engineering degree by the Escola d'Enginyers Superiors de Terrassa (School of Engineers of Terrassa) and a Contemporary History degree by the UAB. He started managing an engineering business (1976), but he has also worked as teacher (1976–1982) and director (1976–1980) of the Escola de Formació Professional de Sallent (School of Professional Formation of Sallent), as well as teacher (1982–1995) and member in the board of the Institut Lacetània de Manresa (Lacetania Institute of Manresa). He has been lecturer at the Universitat Catalana d'Estiu (Catalan Summer University) from 1989 to 1994.

He wrote several History books, Social Science teaching books and Political essays. The most known are Els nacionalismes perillosos (can be translated as "The dangerous nationalisms") and Cornuts i pagar el beure (an idiom, "Crushed and complaining" is an approximated translation).

He has been member of the board of redaction of Europa de les Nacions (The Europe of Nations) (1986–1992), and has received the Avui (1986) and Jaume Casanovas (1989) prizes of journalism.

Civic background

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Josep Huguet was Boy Scout (1966–1975) and member of a youth club (1970–1973) as well as member of several associations. He enrolled the Confederació Sindical de Catalunya (Syndical Confederation of Catalonia) in 1980, and left it in 1994. Nowadays is member of USTEC, Unió Sindical de Treballadors de l'Ensenyament de Catalunya (Syndical Union of Teaching Workers of Catalonia).

Political background

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Member of the Socialist Union of Bages (1970–1977), he was affiliated and member of the board of the PSAN (Partit Socialista d'Alliberament Nacional, Socialist Party of National Liberation) between 1973 and 1980 and several other catalanist and left-winged parties. He has been cofounder of several of them.

He enrolled ERC in 1989.

Institutional background

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He started as deputy in the Catalan Parliament in 1995, and became spokesperson of the ERC group in October 2004. He was the ERC representative in the Mixed Commission of Transferencies State-Generalitat (1993–1995). He became Minister of Trade, Tourism and Consumer Affairs of the Generalitat in October 2004, after Pere Esteve resigned from it for health reasons.

References

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  1. ^ "Josep Huguet i Biosca" (in Spanish). Nueva Economía Fórum. 30 April 2009. Retrieved 25 February 2011.
Political offices
Preceded by Minister of Innovation, Universities and Enterprise of the Generalitat de Catalunya of the Generalitat de Catalunya
2004 – 2006
Succeeded by
Antoni Castells
(as Minister of Economy and Finance holds Trade and Tourism)
and
Jordi Valls i Riera
(as Minister of Employment and Industry holds Consumer Affairs)
Preceded by
Antoni Castells
(as Minister of Economy and Finance holds Trade and Tourism)
and
Jordi Valls i Riera
(as Minister of Employment and Industry holds Consumer Affairs)
Minister of Innovation, Universities and Enterprise of the Generalitat de Catalunya of the Generalitat de Catalunya
2006 – 2010
Succeeded by
Francesc Xavier Mena i López
(as Minister of Enterprise and Employment)
Andreu Mas-Colell
(as Minister of Economy and Knowledge)