Born in Barcelona in 1943, he was one of the leading figures of Catalan socialism during the Spanish transition to democracy, and he was one of the founders of the Socialists' Party of Catalonia, the Catalan branch of the Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE).

[7] Serra served as the first democratically elected Mayor of Barcelona after Franco's dictatorship (from 1979 to 1982).

During his tenure as Minister of Defense, he promoted the legislative changes that resulted in the democratization of the Spanish armed forces, their effective integration in NATO structure, and the participation in international missions for the first time.

Following his resignation in 2011, he was tried for criminal mismanagement and abusive payments while he was chairman of the ailed savings bank.

He currently teaches courses on Strategy, Military Reform and Peace Building as part of the Master studies offered by the institute.