Cristóbal Montoro

In this Spanish name, the first or paternal surname is Montoro and the second or maternal family name is Romero.

Cristóbal Ricardo Montoro Romero (born 28 July 1950 in Cambil) is a Spanish economist and former People's Party politician. He served as Minister of Finance from 2000 until 2004, as Minister of Finance and Public Administration from 2011 until 2016^[1] and as Minister of Finance and the Civil Service from 2016 until 2018, when the Partido Popular government fell in a vote of no confidence.

The Most Excellent Cristóbal Montoro
Minister of Finance of Spain[a]
In office 22 December 2011 – 1 June 2018
Monarchs	Juan Carlos I (2011–2014) Felipe VI (2014–2018)
Prime Minister	Mariano Rajoy
Preceded by	Elena Salgado (Finance) Manuel Chaves (Public Administration)
Succeeded by	María Jesús Montero (Finance) Meritxell Batet (Civil Service)
In office 28 April 2000 – 17 April 2004
Monarch	Juan Carlos I
Prime Minister	José María Aznar
Preceded by	Rodrigo Rato
Succeeded by	Pedro Solbes
Secretary of State for Economy of Spain
In office 20 July 1996 – 31 March 2000
Monarch	Juan Carlos I
Prime Minister	José María Aznar
Preceded by	Manuel Conthe
Succeeded by	José Folgado
Member of the Congress of Deputies
In office 13 January 2016 – 21 May 2019
Constituency	Madrid
In office 1 April 2008 – 13 December 2011
Constituency	Madrid
In office 28 March 2000 – 2 July 2004
Constituency	Jaen
In office 21 June 1993 – 28 May 1996
Constituency	Madrid
Member of the European Parliament
In office 20 July 2004 – 1 April 2008
Constituency	Spain
Personal details
Born	(1950-07-28) 28 July 1950 (age 75) Cambil, Spain
Political party	People's Party (until 2025)
Education	Autonomous University of Madrid (Economics, until 1973; Doctorate until 1981)

He represented Madrid in the Congress of Deputies from 1993 until 1996 and again from 2016 until 2019, when he announced that he would not stand in the April 2019 election. He also represented Jaén from 2000 until 2004, and Seville from 2011 until 2016.

His first government position was as Secretary of the State of the Economy in José María Aznar's first government, in which he was a strong supporter of Spain joining the Eurozone. After Aznar's government was reelected in 2000, he became the Finance Minister (a role taken by Rodrigo Rato in the first government of Aznar).

European Parliament

The PP lost the 2004 Spanish general election and Montoro was elected as a Member of the European Parliament for the People's Party. He sat on the European Parliament Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs.^[2]

He was a substitute for the Committee on Budgets, a member of the Delegation for relations with the countries of the Andean Community and a substitute for the Delegation to the ACP-EU Joint Parliamentary Assembly.

Return to Spanish Congress

He returned to Congress in 2008, serving as the Popular Party spokesperson on the economy until the party returned to power in 2011. In the first government of Mariano Rajoy, Montoro served as the Minister of Finance and Public Administration.

In the second government of Mariano Rajoy, which began in 2016, he occupied a similar position as Minister of Finance and the Civil Service (his ministry was restructured in a cabinet reshuffle).

Retirement

In 2019, Montoro did not stand for re-election to Congress.

In July 2025, Montoro unexpectedly returned to the spotlight when the media reported on allegations that while he was a minister in the People's Party government, a consultancy firm linked to him had received up to €11 million from energy companies. The firm in question was founded in 2006. It is said to have maintained direct access to Montoro after 2008, when he sold his shares in the business and ostensibly severed ties.^[3] While the money was filed as consultancy payments, reports suggested that the money could have been used to lobby the Rajoy government.^[4] It was further alleged that he had used civil servants in the Spanish Tax Agency and elsewhere as part of a "network of influence".^[3]

Montoro resigned from the PP, yet political scientists suggested that the scandal could still hurt his former party, which had criticised the PSOE in relation to the Koldo case, a corruption scandal which was generating headlines in 2025.^[5]

Education

• 1973: Graduate in Economics from the Autonomous University of Madrid (UAM),^[6] he obtained the "Extraordinary Award"
• 1981: Doctor in economics (UAM)

Career

• 1982-1988: Assistant lecturer in public finance (UAM, 1973–1982) and Deputy professor
• since 1989: Professor of public finance at the University of Cantabria
• Economist and director of studies^[6]
• 1996-2000: Member of the Boards of Directors of Telefónica, Iberia, Endesa and SEPI
• since 1999: Member of the National Executive Committee of the PP
• 1993-1996, 2000-2004, 2008-present: Member of the Congress of Deputies.^[6]
• 1996-2000: Secretary of State for the Economy
• 1996-2000: Spain's representative to various economic and financial organisations
• 2000-2004: Minister of the Treasury^[6]
• 2011-2016: Minister of the Treasury and Public Administrations
• 2016–2018: Minister of the Treasury and Civil Service

Decorations

• Knight Grand Cross of the Royal and Distinguished Order of Charles III^[7]
• Knight Grand Cross of the Order of Isabella the Catholic^[8]

See also

• Ministry of Economy and Finance of Spain
• Spanish Government

Notes

1. Minister of Finance from 2000 to 2004, Minister of Finance and Public Administrations from 2011 to 2016 and Minister of Finance and Civil Service from 2016 to 2018.