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Abel Matutes

b. 1941

Spanish politician

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About Abel Matutes

Born 1941. Abel Matutes is a Spanish politician, diplomat, businessperson, association football player, banker and lawyer.

Abel Matutes y Juan (born 31 October 1941) is a Spanish former politician who served as Spain's Minister of Foreign Affairs from 6 May 1996 to 2000. He was also a European commissioner from 1986 to 1994 and a Member of the European Parliament.

Early life Matutes was born in Ibiza on 31 October 1941 and his early political life was in that region.

Political service He was Mayor of Ibiza in 1970 and 1971 and became Senator for Ibiza and Formentera in 1977. In 1982 Matutes left the Senate and became a member of the Congress of Deputies, the lower house of the Spanish Parliament, representing the Balearic Islands until 1985.

In 1986, Matutes became a member of the Commission of the European Community (the Delors Commission), where he was in charge of the departments of Credit and Investment, Financial Engineering and Policy for Small and Medium Enterprises, North–South relations, Mediterranean Policy, and Relations with Latin America and Asia. In 1993 his brief changed to Transportation, Energy and the Supply Agency for Euratom.

He was a Member of the European Parliament and spokesman for the People's Party at the European Parliament from 1994 onwards. As a founding leader of the Balearic branch of the Liberal Union party. He was also deputy chairman of the People's Alliance and is currently a member of the Executive Committee of the People's Party.

Personal life Outside politics Matutes is married and a father of four children. He holds a degree in Law and Economics and has been a professor of public finance, and is also a member of the Economics and Finance Academy. He is emeritus professor at the University of Santiago de Chile and of the Complutense University of Madrid a member of the Honor Committee of the Royal Institute of European Studies, an honorary member of the Filipino Academy of Spanish Language.

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Important facts

Birth century
Nationality
Education
University of Barcelona, Complutense University of Madrid
Positions held
Member of the Senate of Spain, Mayor of Eivissa, Member of the Congress of Deputies, Member of the European Parliament
Awards
Robert Schuman Medal; Grand Cross of the Order of the Sun of Peru‎; Grand Cross of the Order of Charles III; Honorary doctor of the University of Madrid Complutense; Grand Cross of the Order of Isabella the Catholic; Grand Cross of the Order of Boyacá; Medal of the Oriental Republic of Uruguay
Also known as
Abel Matutes y Juan

People in Abel Matutes's life

Named in this biography and alive at the same time

Contemporaries

People whose lives overlapped Abel Matutes's

Frequently asked questions

Who is Abel Matutes?

Spanish politician

When was Abel Matutes born?

Abel Matutes was born on 31 October 1941 in Ibiza.

What is Abel Matutes's occupation?

Abel Matutes is a politician, diplomat, businessperson, association football player, banker and lawyer.

What nationality is Abel Matutes?

Abel Matutes is Spanish.

Sources & further reading

· Wikipedia: Abel Matutes

· Wikidata: Q318474

· DBpedia: Abel Matutes

Cite this page

APA: Biography.guide. (2026). Abel Matutes. https://biography.guide/abel-matutes/

MLA: "Abel Matutes." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/abel-matutes/.

Chicago: "Abel Matutes." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/abel-matutes/.

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