Monetary Affairs
Solbes (56) has one of the toughest tasks of the new Commission - overseeing the introduction of economic and monetary union. A former economy and finance minister (1993-96) in the now disgraced socialist government of former Spanish prime minister Felipe Gonzalez, Solbes is a specialist in European affairs and was a leading member of Spain's negotiating team for entry into the EU.
In the countdown to the introduction of the euro, Solbes will need to ensure that the project has the confidence of the people of Europe, that relations with the European Central Bank remain good and that current non-participants - such as, principally, the UK - are encouraged to sign up.