Clara Ponsatí facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Clara Ponsatí i Obiols
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Ponsatí in 2017
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| Counselor of Education of Catalonia | |
| In office 14 July 2017 – 28 October 2017 |
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| President | Carles Puigdemont |
| Preceded by | Meritxell Ruiz |
| Succeeded by | Josep Bargalló (Direct rule until 2 June 2018) |
| Member of the Catalan Parliament | |
| In office 17 January 2018 – 29 January 2018 |
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| Member of the European Parliament | |
| Assumed office 1 February 2020 |
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| Constituency | Spain |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 19 March 1957 Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain |
| Citizenship | Spain |
| Political party | Alhora (2024–present) |
| Other political affiliations |
JxCat (2017–2020) Junts (2020–2024) |
| Education | University of Barcelona University of Minnesota |
| Occupation | Economist, Politician |
| Website | https://www.claraponsati.cat/ |
Clara Ponsatí i Obiols (born 19 March 1957) is an economist and politician from Catalonia, a region in Spain. She served as the Minister of Education for the Government of Catalonia in 2017. Her time as minister ended due to political events in Spain related to the 2017 Catalan independence referendum.
After these events, she moved to Brussels, Belgium, along with other members of the Catalan government. Later, she returned to work as a professor at the University of St Andrews in Scotland. Since February 2020, she has been a Member of the European Parliament, representing Spain.
About Clara Ponsatí
Early life and education
Clara Ponsatí was born in 1957 in Barcelona, Catalonia. Her family includes notable figures like her grandfather, artist Josep Obiols i Palau, and her uncle, politician Raimon Obiols.
She studied economics at the University of Barcelona, graduating in 1980. She then earned a master's degree from the Autonomous University of Barcelona. In 1988, she completed her Ph.D. in economics at the University of Minnesota in the United States, where she also taught for several years.
Academic career and research
Ponsatí is an expert in game theory and political economy. These fields help understand how people make decisions and resolve conflicts. In 2001, she joined the Institute of Economic Analysis of the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC), a major research organization in Spain. She led this institution from 2006 to 2012.
She also taught as a visiting professor at several universities around the world, including the University of Toronto, University of California, San Diego, and Georgetown University. In 2013, she believed her political views on Catalonia's future led to her position at Georgetown University not being renewed.
In January 2015, Ponsatí became the director of the School of Economics and Finance at the University of St Andrews in Scotland. This was her last academic job before she became the Minister of Education in Catalonia in July 2017.
Political journey
Role in the Catalan Government
From mid-2016 to July 2017, Clara Ponsatí was part of the National Secretariat of the Assemblea Nacional Catalana, a group that supports Catalan independence. In July 2017, she was appointed Minister of Education in the Catalan Government by President Carles Puigdemont.
As Minister of Education, she helped organize the 2017 Catalan independence referendum. This involved using schools as places for people to vote. After the referendum, her role as minister ended due to actions taken by the Spanish Government.
Moving to Brussels and the European Parliament
On 30 October 2017, Clara Ponsatí moved to Brussels, Belgium. She went with President Carles Puigdemont and three other members of the Catalan Government.
In the 2017 elections for the Parliament of Catalonia, she was elected as a member for the Junts per Catalunya party. However, she gave up her seat in January 2018. In March 2018, she announced she was moving to the United Kingdom to return to the University of St Andrews as a professor.
In April 2019, Ponsatí ran for elections to the European Parliament. She became a Member of the European Parliament (MEP) in February 2020, after the Brexit process was completed.
Work in the European Parliament
As an MEP, Clara Ponsatí is involved in important committees. She is a member of the Committee on Industry, Technology, Research and Energy. She also works on the Sub-Committee on Fiscal Affairs, which deals with taxes.
She has often spoken in the European Parliament about the importance of Rule of Law and civil rights. She also created a website called 'ruleoflaw.cat'. This website collects information about issues related to rights in Catalonia since 2003. It also allows people to report these issues to the European Commission.
Legal challenges and return to Catalonia
Legal proceedings abroad
After leaving Spain, the Supreme Court of Spain issued a European Arrest Warrant for Clara Ponsatí in March 2018. This meant that other European countries were asked to arrest and send her back to Spain. Her defense attorney was Aamer Anwar. She appeared before Scottish authorities and was released temporarily. In July 2018, the Spanish judge withdrew the arrest warrant.
However, in November 2019, a new European Arrest Warrant was issued against her in the United Kingdom for legal reasons. Ponsatí appeared in an Edinburgh court. This warrant was later dismissed in August 2021, by which time she was an MEP living in Belgium. As an MEP, she had parliamentary immunity, which protects her from arrest in certain situations.
Her parliamentary immunity was temporarily removed in March 2021. She appealed this decision, but the General Court of the European Union confirmed the decision in July 2023. An appeal against this decision is still pending before the European Court of Justice.
Return to Catalonia and further legal steps
In January 2023, the Spanish Criminal Code was changed, and some of the original charges against Ponsatí were removed. A Spanish judge then issued a new national arrest warrant for different legal reasons.
On 28 March 2023, Clara Ponsatí returned to Barcelona from France, even though the national arrest warrant was still active. She held a press conference to launch her 'ruleoflaw.cat' website. Later that day, she was arrested by the police in Barcelona. She was released after appearing before a judge. The judge asked her to appear before the Supreme Court of Spain in April.
Ponsatí did not appear in court in April, stating that she still had parliamentary immunity. In June 2023, the judge issued another national arrest warrant against her. On 24 July 2023, she announced she was in Barcelona and was arrested again. She was brought to the Ciutat de la Justícia in Barcelona and released shortly after. The legal process against her continues.
See also
In Spanish: Clara Ponsatí para niños
