Íñigo de la Serna explained

Íñigo de la Serna
Office:Minister of Public Works
Primeminister:Mariano Rajoy
Term Start:4 November 2016
Term End:1 June 2018
Predecessor:Ana Pastor Julián
Office1:Mayor of Santander
Term Start1:16 June 2007
Term End1:4 November 2016
Predecessor1:Gonzalo Piñeiro
Successor1:Gema Igual
Office2:President of the Council of European Municipalities and Regions
Term Start2:26 June 2015
Term End2:12 December 2016
Predecessor2:Annemarie Jorritsma
Successor2:Stefano Bonaccini
Office3:President of the Spanish Federation of Municipalities and Provinces
Term Start3:23 July 2012
Term End3:19 September 2015
Predecessor3:Juan Ignacio Zoido
Successor3:Abel Caballero
Office4:Member of the Parliament of Cantabria
Term Start4:18 June 2015
Term End4:4 November 2016
Office5:Councillor of the City Council of Santander
Term Start5:14 June 2003
Term End5:4 November 2016
Birth Name:Íñigo Joaquín de la Serna Hernáiz
Birth Date:10 January 1971
Birth Place:Bilbao, Spain
Party:People's Party
Alma Mater:University of Cantabria

Íñigo Joaquín de la Serna Hernáiz (born 10 January 1971 in Bilbao) is a Spanish politician and civil engineer. He was the Mayor of Santander between 2007 and 2016 and served as Minister of Public Works from 4 November 2016 to 1 June 2018.[1]

Biography

Although born in Bilbao, he has been a resident of Santander during all of his life. An only child, he attended the San Agustín College in the Cantabrian capital and spend his COU year in Ohio, United States as an exchange student, before joining the University of Cantabria School of Civil Engineering, where he graduated as civil engineer.[2] He worked in the Apia XXI engineering office.

His career in politics began in 1999 when he was named chief of the cabinet of the Councilor of Environment of the Government of Cantabria, José Luis Gil. In 2003 he took the office of the Department of Environment, Water and Beaches in the City Council of Santander. In 2004, he was elected Deputy Secretary of the People's Party of Cantabria, and later contested the municipal elections of 2007. Íñigo de la Serna was elected Mayor of Santander, obtaining 15 of the 27 councilors/aldermans (the PSC-PSOE obtained 7 and the PRC the remaining 5).

When he was elected, he became the second youngest mayor of a provincial capital of Spain after Agustín Conde (Conde was elected Mayor of Toledo in 1995 with 30 years), since he was only 36 years old. He obtained an absolute majority with 52% of the votes, this was the first time that this had happened. In the municipal elections of 2011, he revalidated an absolute majority, more broadly, obtaining 18 of the 27 councilors (the PSC-PSOE obtained 5 and the PRC the remaining 4). He became the fourth most voted mayor of Spain obtaining the highest record of his party in the city with 56% of the votes.

As mayor, and thanks to the implementation of the European project SmartSantander, he strongly opted to turn Santander into a referent within the so-called smart cities. In this sense, he advocated from his position as President of the Council of European Municipalities and Regions (CEMR) to promote technological interoperability between the different cities of the European Union that would allow the sharing of information and projects in the field of smart cities.[3] In June 2012, he was elected president of the Spanish Network of Smart Cities.[4]

In the municipal elections of 2015, he lost the absolute majority and remained with 13 aldermans and the 40% of the votes, the best result in a provincial capital for the PP after the fate suffered by the party across Spain. He was reelected mayor thanks to an agreement with the two aldermans from Citizens and that causes all the opposition to vote to its own candidates in the vote of investiture, ruling in minority. The rest of the corporation was made up of 5 PSC-PSOE councilors, 4 from the Regionalist Party of Cantabria, 1 from Ganemos Santander (regional branch of the national party Podemos), 1 from United Left and 1 independent.

From 23 July 2012 to 19 September 2015, he also held the position of President of the Spanish Federation of Municipalities and Provinces (FEMP), following the voluntary resignation of the former president, Juan Ignacio Zoido, being unanimously elected by the members belonging to all the political parties that form the Territorial Council of the same. On 19 September 2015, the presidency of the FEMP was left in the hands of the Socialist, Abel Caballero. He was at the helm of the Spanish Network of Smart Cities since its foundation in 2012 until May 2016. He has also held the presidency of the Council of European Municipalities and Regions.

As mayor he supported the construction of the Botín Center of Art and Culture in a very central zone of the city.[5] after several years of delay.[6]

On 4 November 2016, he was appointed Minister of Public Works of the Government of Spain. 35 days after losing the absolute majority and being mayor of Santander, he supported the creation of a parliamentary commission of investigation on the accident of the Alvia; 180 days later, being minister, he refused to the creation of this commission.[7] After 132 days at the helm of the ministry, he was the third minister to have a Royal Decree-Law rejected by the Cortes, the first in a normal functioning state of government.[8]

After supporting María José Sainz de Buruaga in the party's regional congress of Cantabria, the biggest political crisis in the 21st century of the PP of Cantabria took place.[9] He has also been identified as a possible responsible for the taxi/Uber/Cabify conflict.[10] In August 2017, less than 2 months before the date of the referendum of independence of Catalonia, he announced the presence of the Civil Guard in the security control of the Barcelona Airport after a labor dispute that caused a strike by the security guards.[11]

See also

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Íñigo de la Serna toma posesión como nuevo ministro de Fomento. www.teleprensa.com. 23 August 2017.
  2. News: Íñigo de la Serna, nuevo ministro de Fomento. 3 November 2016. El Diario Montañés. 23 August 2017. es-ES.
  3. News: De la Serna pide un esfuerzo europeo para compartir avances en la smart city. La Vanguardia. 23 August 2017.
  4. Web site: Quienes somos. Blanco. Fraile y. www.redciudadesinteligentes.es. es. 23 August 2017.
  5. News: El Centro Botín, de Renzo Piano, se inaugurará el 23 de junio en Santander. Mantilla. Jesús Ruiz. 30 March 2017. EL PAÍS. 23 August 2017. es.
  6. News: El Centro Botín retrasa su apertura hasta 2015. 22 July 2014. El Diario Montañés. 23 August 2017. es-ES.
  7. News: De la Serna rehúye ahora la investigación sobre Angrois que apoyó siendo alcalde. 30 December 2016. La Voz de Galicia. 23 August 2017. es-ES.
  8. News: El decreto de la estiba es el tercero rechazado a un Gobierno en democracia. 16 March 2017. abc. 23 August 2017. es-ES.
  9. News: Acusan a De la Serna de 'hacer la cama' al presidente del PP en Cantabria. eldiario.es. 23 August 2017. es.
  10. News: ¿Y si la culpa de la guerra del taxi contra Uber y Cabify es de la Administración?. Noticias de Empresas. El Confidencial. 23 August 2017. es.
  11. News: La Guardia Civil asumirá la seguridad en El Prat para atajar el caos. 11 August 2017. Libre Mercado. 23 August 2017. es-ES.