Eduard Punset facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Eduard Punset
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| Minister for Relations with the European Communities | |
| In office 9 September 1980 – 27 February 1981 |
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| Prime Minister | Adolfo Suárez |
| Preceded by | Leopoldo Calvo-Sotelo |
| Succeeded by | Office abolished |
| Catalan Minister of Economy and Finance | |
| In office 19 September 1978 – 8 May 1980 |
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| President | Josep Tarradellas |
| Preceded by | Joan Josep Folchi |
| Succeeded by | Ramón Trías |
| Member of the European Parliament for Spain |
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| In office 6 July 1987 – 18 July 1994 |
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| Member of the Congress of Deputies for Barcelona |
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| In office 28 October 1982 – 5 December 1983 |
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| Personal details | |
| Born | 9 November 1936 Barcelona, Spain |
| Died | 22 May 2019 (aged 82) Barcelona, Spain |
| Political party | PCE UCD CiU CDS Foro |
| Alma mater | University of London Complutense University of Madrid |
Eduard Punset i Casals (born November 9, 1936 – died May 22, 2019) was a well-known Spanish politician, lawyer, economist, and someone who made science easy to understand for everyone.
He studied Law at the Complutense University of Madrid and earned a Master's degree in Economics from the University of London. Eduard Punset worked as an economics writer for the BBC and was an economics director for the Latin American version of The Economist magazine. He also worked as an economist for the International Monetary Fund in the United States and Haiti.
Because he was an expert on new technologies, Punset advised many groups. He was a professor of International Marketing at ESADE and taught about innovation and technology at the IE Business School in Madrid. He also helped plan how information technology could be used by the Government of Catalonia.
Political Career
Eduard Punset began his political journey in the Regional Government of Catalonia. He served as the Minister of Finance from 1978 to 1980. During this time, he helped set up the system where different parts of Spain gained more self-governance.
He was a member of Adolfo Suárez's political party, the Union of the Democratic Centre. With this party, he won a seat in the regional parliament in 1980. From 1980 to 1981, he became the Minister for Relations with the European Communities in the Spanish Government. This role was important for Spain's connections with other European countries.
In 1982, he was elected to the Spanish Congress for Barcelona province. He was an independent candidate on the list of Convergence and Union, a Catalan nationalist group. However, he left this position the next year.
When Spain joined the European Union, Punset was elected to the European Parliament. He represented Spain as a member of Adolfo Suárez's Democratic and Social Centre (CDS) in 1987 and 1989. He stayed in the European Parliament until 1994. As the head of the European Parliament's group visiting Poland, he helped oversee the economic changes happening in Eastern European countries after the Berlin Wall fell.
Author and Professor
Eduard Punset wrote many books about economics and how society works. He was also a professor of Science, Technology, and Society at the Chemical Institute of Sarrià (Ramon Llull University).
Starting in 1996, he hosted and directed a popular science TV show called Redes on TVE. This show featured interviews with top scientists and helped many people learn about new discoveries. He also led an audiovisual production company called smartplanet.
Personal Life
In November 2007, Eduard Punset was diagnosed with lung cancer, but he recovered from it. He passed away on May 22, 2019, at the age of 82, after a long illness. He had three daughters: Carolina Punset, who is a politician, and Elsa Punset and Nadia, who are also involved in writing and making science popular.
Awards
Eduard Punset received many awards for his work:
- "Honor Plaque" from the Spanish Association of Scientists (2001).
- Airtel Prize for Journalism from the Vodafone Foundation (2002).
- "José Manuel Porquet" Prize for Digital Journalism (2006).
- "Galardón de la Psicología" from the Official College of Psychologists, Murcia (2007).
- "Rei Jaume I" Prize for Journalism from the Government of Valencia (2007).
- Science and Technology Prize from the Spanish Association of Publishers of Periodicals (2008).
- Manel Xifra i Boada Prize from the Official College of Industrial Engineers, Girona (2008).
- Prize from the Spanish Association of Press, Television and Radio Reporters, Catalonia (2008).
- "Hombre CQ del Año" Prize for the Best Writer (2008).
- "Mención de honor" (Honorary Mention) by the Spanish Neurology Society (2008).
- "Premios Zapping: Premio Humano" awarded by TVE (2009).
- Named one of the "10 Most Influential Ibero American Intellectuals" by Foreign Policy magazine (2012).
Selected Works
Eduard Punset wrote several books, including:
- El viaje a la felicidad: Las nuevas claves científicas (The Journey to Happiness: New Scientific Clues, 2005)
- Cara a cara con la vida, la mente y el universo (Face to Face with Life, Mind, and the Universe, 2004)
- Adaptarse a la marea. La selección natural en los negocios (Adapting to the Tide: Natural Selection in Business, 2004)
- Manual para sobrevivir en el siglo XXI (A 20th Century Survival Manual, 2000)
- Information Resources and Corporate Growth (co-authored, 1989)
- La España impertinente (Impertinent Spain, 1986)
- España: sociedad cerrada, sociedad abierta (Spain: Closed Society, Open Society, 1982)
- La salida de la crisis (The Way Out of the Crisis, 1980)
