M. Abel Matutes is a Spanish politician who served as Spain's Minister of Foreign Affairs from May 6, 1996 to 2000. Matutes was born in Ibiza on October 31, 1941 and his early political life was in that region. 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 Spanish Parliament, representing the Balearic Islands until 1985.
In 1989 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 Partido Popular at the European Parliament from 1994 onwards. As a Founder Chairman of the Balaerics' "Unió Liberal" Party. He was also deputy chairman of Alianza Popular and is currently a member of the Executive Committee of the Partido Popular.
