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Born in Girona on 31 January 1948. He is married and has two children.
Minister of Town and Country Town and Public Works (2003-2006) and minister of the Presidency (2006).
He was mayor of Girona between 1979 and 2002 and president of the Federation of Municipalities of Catalonia (FMC) between 1981 and 1995. He has been a deputy in the Parliament of Catalonia since the 2nd term of office, president of the Socialist Parliamentary Group (1995-1999) and spokesperson of that group's Citizens for Change area (1999-2003).
He holds a PhD in History from the University of Barcelona. He was lecturer at the University of Liverpool (1970-1972) and a lecturer in the History of Catalonia at the Autonomous University of Barcelona (1972-1983). He was director of the University College of Girona between 1978 and 1979, has been a professor of modern history at the UAB since 1987, and has been attached to the University of Girona since 1992.
His publications include: 'Histōria de Catalunya' (coordinated with Philippe Wolf, 1982), 'Municipi i ciutat. Girona com a exemple' (1988), 'Girona. Mirant el present, pensant el futur' (1991), 'Girona, ciutat viva i de colors' (1999), 'La Catedral de Girona' (2003), 'Catalunya, Catalanisme i Socialisme' (2003), 'Emilio Grahit Papell. Memorias de un ex-alcalde gerundense' (2003), 'Vides amb nom' (2005), 'Dietari 2003. Apunts d'un any electoral' (2006), 'Discursos i conferčncies 2003-2006' (2 vols. 2006), 'Quadern de viatges' (2006) and 'Per a una histōria de Girona. Una bibliografia bāsica' (2008).
He has been involved with the Partit dels Socialistes de Catalunya since 1980 and is a member of the National Executive. In 1995 that party proclaimed him a candidate for the presidency of the Generalitat.