Carolina Punset

{{Short description|Spanish politician}}

{{autobiography|date=March 2016}}

{{family name hatnote|Punset|Bannel|lang=Spanish}}

{{Infobox officeholder

|name = Carolina Punset

|honorific-suffix = MEP

|image = Carolina-Punset EDIIMA20150506 0787 5.jpg

|office = Member of the European Parliament

|term_start = 3 February 2016

|term_end = 2019

|constituency = Spain

|predecessor = Juan Carlos Girauta

|birth_date = {{birth-date and age|5 January 1971}}

|birth_place = Washington, D.C., United States

|death_date =

|death_place =

|nationality = Spanish

|party = Citizens (2014-2018)

|parents = Eduard Punset

|occupation = Politician

|website = {{URL|www.carolinapunset.com}}

}}

Carolina Punset Bannel (born 5 January 1971) is a Spanish politician, lawyer and forensic handwriting expert. She served as a Member of the European Parliament from 2016 until 2019. Punset has a post-graduate certificate in international development cooperation and non-governmental organizations.

Aside from her work as a lawyer and forensic handwriting expert, Punset has also developed her professional expertise in the field of non-governmental organizations such as ‘Proyecto Hombre’ (reintegration of drug addicts into society), Médecins sans Frontières/Doctors without Borders, the City of Joy Foundation in India, and others.

In 2007 she headed a local Green party in Altea, Alicante called 'Ciudadanos Independientes por Altea' [Independent Citizens for Altea] or CIPAL.{{cite web|url=http://www.cipal.es/|title=Cipal - Ciudadanos Independientes Por Altea|website=Cipal|lang=es|access-date=14 March 2016|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303183940/http://www.cipal.es/|archivedate=3 March 2016|url-status=dead}} She was Altea Town Councillor for urban planning, agriculture, health and public participation (Altea Town Council).{{cite web|url=http://www.altea.es/es/urbanismo/noticias|title=Noticias Urbanismo - Web Municipal del Ayuntamiento de Altea|website=www.altea.es|access-date=14 March 2016|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20160312141038/http://www.altea.es/es/urbanismo/noticias|archivedate=12 March 2016|url-status=dead}}

In September 2013 she joined the political association 'Movimiento Ciudadanos'. In the 2014 European elections, Carolina Punset won the primary elections and third place on the party lists. In February 2016 she succeeded Juan Carlos Girauta, who is now Ciudadanos' spokesperson in the lower house of the Spanish Parliament; as Member of the European Parliament (MEP).

Prior to that, Carolina Punset was a Member of the Valencian Regional Parliament and autonomous community spokesperson for 'Ciudadanos', a post she had held since the municipal and autonomous community elections in May 2015, having won the party's primary.

Punset was a member of the National Executive of 'Ciudadanos', responsible for the environmental agenda.

In 2012, she stood as an independent Europe Écologie Les Verts candidate{{cite web|url=https://www.eelv.fr/design-hdf-leg_2012/|title=Désignation des candidat-e-s EELV dans les 11 circonscriptions des français-e-s établi-e-s hors de France|website=Europe Écologie Les Verts|lang=fr|date=30 September 2011|access-date=24 September 2021}} in the 5th constituency (French citizens resident in Spain, Portugal, Andorra and Monaco) in France's legislative elections.

On 20 October 2018 she announced she was leaving 'Ciudadanos', criticizing the leadership and citing a shift in the direction of the party.{{cite web|date=20 October 2018|accessdate=24 September 2021|url=https://www.eldiario.es/politica/eurodiputada-Carolina-Punset-Ciudadanos-espiarle_0_826967424.html|title=La eurodiputada Carolina Punset abandona Ciudadanos con una dura carta contra la dirección|website=eldiario.es}}