Micheline Calmy-Rey

Micheline Calmy-Rey (2011)

Micheline Calmy-Rey (born July 8, 1945 in Sion ; entitled to live in Chermignon , full name Micheline Anne Marie Calmy-Rey ) is a Swiss politician ( SP ). From January 1, 2011 to December 31, 2011, she was President of the Swiss Confederation. From 2003 to 2011, Calmy-Rey was a member of the Federal Council, head of the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (FDFA), the Swiss Foreign Ministry. In 2007 she took over the office of Federal President for one year. In addition, Calmy-Rey was Vice President from November 1, 2010 to December 31, 2010 .

Calmy-Rey announced on September 7, 2011 that she would not stand for re-election in the 2011 Federal Council elections. Her term of office ended on December 31, 2011.

education

In 1963 she graduated from the business school in Saint-Maurice . A year later, in 1964, she obtained the commercial school-leaving certificate in Sion. In 1968 she obtained a degree in political science from the Geneva University Institute for International Studies .

Career

Public office and professional activity

Micheline Calmy-Rey was a member of the Board of Directors of the Groupe Caisse d'Epargne in Geneva from 1986 to 1993 . From 1991 to 1997 she was on the board of Argos, an aid organization for addicts. From 1994 to 1997 Calmy-Rey was on the board of directors of Geneva Airport .

From 1998 to 2002, Calmy-Rey was a member of the board of trustees of the non-profit foundation Lord Michelham of Hellingly , Vice-President and later President of the Pension Fund of the Geneva State Employees CIA and a member of the Board of Directors of the Fonds d'équipement communal of the Canton of Geneva .

In 2002 Calmy-Rey was a member of the Board of Directors (the so-called Bank Council) of the Swiss National Bank .

For 20 years she ran a book distribution company .

Since May 1, 2012 she has been visiting professor at the Global Studies Institute at the University of Geneva .

Political offices

From 1981 to 1997 Calmy-Rey was on the Grand Council of the Canton of Geneva. From 1986 to 1990 and again from 1993 to 1997 Micheline Calmy-Rey was President of the SP of the Canton of Geneva. In November 1997 she was elected to the State Council and confirmed in November 2001, where she took over the finance department. From 2001 to 2002 she was President of the State Council.

She was elected to the Federal Council on December 4, 2002 (see Federal Council election 2002 ). She has headed the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs since the beginning of her term of office .

On December 7, 2005 she was elected Vice-President of the Federal Council for 2006. One year later she was elected Federal President for 2007 by the United Federal Assembly. She was the second Federal President of Switzerland after Ruth Dreifuss . When she was elected, Micheline Calmy-Rey achieved the worst result in a federal presidential election since 1939.

On November 1, 2010, she became Vice President for two months after the previous Vice President Moritz Leuenberger had resigned as Federal Councilor. On December 8, 2010, she was elected Federal President for the second time. With 106 of 189 votes cast, with 246 eligible voters in the United Federal Assembly, it achieved the historically worst result since the introduction of proportional representation in 1919, when Edmund Schulthess got 136 votes in 1920 . She commented on the result with the remark "I regard this as a political game, it has no meaning". In the run-up, there was, among other things, criticism of their role in connection with the so-called Libya crisis .

Political activity

Calmy-Rey at the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos , 2007

The foreign policy of Switzerland has traditionally been dominated by the policy of neutrality and great restraint. Calmy-Rey sees Switzerland's role differently: It coined the term “active neutrality” and relies on “public diplomacy”.

Priorities of their policy

As head of the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs, she has endeavored to expand and develop Switzerland's relations with the European Union by strengthening and expanding the so-called bilateral path. In this context, four election campaigns were carried out (Schengen-Dublin in 2005, Free Movement in 2006 and the Cohesion Fund) which she led.

It has promoted Switzerland's universal presence in the world through key political and economic partnerships and a policy that is committed to multilateral institutions, by promoting respect for human rights, the rule of law and the fight against poverty. Finally, under her leadership, Switzerland pursued a policy of active neutrality. The highlights of their policy included the introduction of the Geneva Initiative, its decisive contribution to the establishment of the Human Rights Council, the independence of Kosovo, the mediation between the P5 + 1 and Iran, Armenia and Turkey, Georgia and Russia, and the adoption of a third additional protocol of the Geneva Conventions. This has allowed the Israeli “Magen David Adom” to join the Red Cross and the Red Crescent.

She chaired the Council of Europe in 2010 and the Ministerial Conference of the Francophonie in 2010 and 2011.

Various actions marked the beginning of her term of office. On May 20, 2003, she became the first official foreign government representative to cross the demarcation line between North and South Korea . The striking red shoes she had been wearing were later auctioned for 10,291 Swiss francs for the benefit of victims of a train disaster in North Korea.

In 2007 she was Federal President. In her New Year's address she already emphasized her commitment to a peaceful solution to conflicts. She emphasized the success of the integration across religions, languages ​​and cultures in Switzerland. She called on fellow citizens to always stand up for solidarity and against social injustice. In several speeches during her presidential year, she discussed integration policy and advocated cultural diversity. In her speech at the World Economic Forum in Davos , she once again spoke of the good integration of foreign cultures and religions and the cohesion of Switzerland, despite the sometimes considerable language barriers.

As a further focus, she advocates women's rights - in her view, equality in many areas in Switzerland is still only available on paper today. Calmy-Rey was committed to equality in business and politics and advocated the so-called quota rule, according to which parliaments should have a minimum proportion of female members. She attracted attention with her appearance at the national celebration on August 1, 2007, when, despite security concerns (in previous years right-wing extremists had disrupted the Rütli celebrations massively), she insisted on taking part in a celebration on the Rütli specially organized for women .

The third priority of their policy is human rights . Switzerland played an important role in the formation of the UN Human Rights Council . During her presidential year she also came up with it several times. On December 10th, Human Rights Day, she gave a speech in which she emphasized the importance of everyone's commitment to upholding them.

«Respect for human rights is not a utopian dream. It concerns us all in our everyday lives - in the family, at work, in society. I invite you to work to ensure that human rights are respected everywhere. "

Calmy-Rey is credited by its supporters for criticizing human rights violations in other countries for their violations even if their interventions could affect other (e.g. economic) interests of Switzerland. During her tenure, she has already summoned several ambassadors and high-ranking diplomats to the State Department, including the Turkish, Chinese and American. As a means of improvement, it relies on dialogue with governments with which other Western countries have broken off contact.

In mid-March 2008, she traveled to Tehran to visit the Iranian head of state Mahmud Ahmadineschad as a natural gas supply contract for the Swiss energy company Elektrizitätsgesellschaft Laufenburg was signed . She caused a stir because she wore a headscarf in the official photos of the visit to the head of state . However, she denied having done this as a sign of submission, rather she had conformed to local laws.

On March 28, 2008, she personally opened the Swiss embassy in Pristina ( Kosovo ). After the United Kingdom, Switzerland is the second country to send an ambassador to the young state of Kosovo. After her Swedish counterpart, former Balkan negotiator Carl Bildt , the Foreign Minister was the second foreign member of the government to visit the country since Kosovo's declaration of independence.

Left to right: Armenian Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandjan , Calmy-Rey, Turkish negotiator Ertuğrul Apakan , Turkish Foreign Minister Ali Babacan and US President Barack Obama

Micheline Calmy-Rey sees Switzerland's role as a country without a colonial past in diplomatic mediation and mediation in dealing with conflicts between other states. For example, Switzerland is leading the negotiations between Turkey and Armenia to settle the border conflict; it represents the interests of the United States in Iran as well as the interests of Georgia in Russia and those of Russia in Georgia.

After leaving the Federal Council, Calmy-Rey made a public statement on February 2, 2014 in favor of Switzerland joining the European Union . In support of this, she expressed the view that in this way Switzerland could gain more influence on European decisions that directly affect it.

She is part of the initiative committee of the corporate responsibility initiative .

criticism

For her interpretation of the principle of neutrality she is criticized by the political right, especially the SVP .

Her personal presence in Pristina was seen in Switzerland as a “first diplomatic validation” of the Thaçi government , which only made half-hearted efforts to deal with war crimes within its own ranks. In general, Micheline Calmy-Rey's diplomacy raised questions about future Swiss foreign policy, from bourgeois parties in Switzerland. But this diplomacy was also followed by her successor, when the priority European policy, international mediation and universal presence of Switzerland on the world stage defined by Micheline Calmy-Rey remained the same.

The conclusion of the natural gas supply contract was criticized by Ronald Lauder , President of the World Jewish Congress . He said the money would allow Tehran to build missiles and kill Israeli citizens. Although the conclusion of the contract may appear questionable from a human rights point of view, it is not from a legal point of view, because the sanctions of the United Nations (UNO) against Iran explicitly do not affect petroleum products . In addition, it was not a state treaty . Nevertheless, she was accused of having given her diplomatic legitimacy by traveling with her to sign the contract.

The visit to Tehran had other aims, the representation of American interests in Iran and the evocation of consular problems in connection with this representation.

Calmy-Rey also received criticism for her regular dealings with radical Islamic organizations such as Hamas, which she found to be all too agreeable .

This handling was based on mediation work that Switzerland, with the help of international bodies such as the UN Human Rights Committee, portrayed as massively violating human rights at a high level, and thus exaggeratedly relativizing the term “human rights” in view of the violations in countries such as Mauritania. In general, Calmy-Rey is accused by her critics of appearing undifferentiated negatively towards the West, including Israel, but undifferentiatedly benevolent towards the “ Third World ” and the Islamic states.

The very good partnership between Switzerland and the United States has been criticized in an article in the Wall Street Journal by James V. Grimaldi and Rebecca Ballhaus.

Awards

• 2011: Prix ​​Diaspora for their role in the recognition of the state of Kosovo.
• 2012: Medal of Honor of the Republic of Armenia
• 2012: Doctorate honoris causa from the International University in Geneva.
• 2014: Order of Friendship of the Russian Federation as a token of appreciation for its contribution to strengthening friendship and cooperation between Russia and Switzerland.
• 2017: Honorary Citizen of the Municipality of Viti, Kosovo

Private

Micheline Calmy-Rey is the daughter of Charles and Adeline Rey; her father was a teacher and train driver . She has two sisters, of whom Eliane Rey (* 1953) is a member of the FDP and from 2002 to 2006 was a member of the city government of Lausanne .

Micheline Calmy-Rey was married to André Calmy (1940-2015) since 1966. The two had two children and three granddaughters. Calmy-Rey lives in Geneva.

documentation

• The 7 federal councilors. In: SRF 1 , DOK of November 29, 2018 (50 min) ( video excerpts ).

Publications

• “The Art and Science of Negociations:“ De – Politicizing and Technicizing Negotiations ””, in WTO Accessions - The Upper Floors of the Trading System , WTO & Cambridge University Press (in press).
• “Doctrine in a Global Context”, in Konrad Hummler et Franz Jaeger, Small State of Switzerland - Discontinued or Successful Model? , Zurich, NZZ Libro, 2017, ISBN 978-3-03810-236-6 .
• The Switzerland that I want us to be. Translated from the French by Irma Wehrli, with a foreword by Charles Lewinsky . Nagel & Kimche, Zurich 2014, ISBN 978-3-312-00610-6 .
• La Suisse que je souhaite. Lausanne, Editions Favre, 2014, ISBN 978-2-8289-1318-2 .
• "The Swiss Model", Horizons. Autumn 2014.
• “Justice sociale et liberté politique selon Calvin: clarification et perspectives”, La Vie Protestante. Geneva 2010.

literature

• Micheline Calmy-Rey in the Munzinger archive ( beginning of article freely available)
• Torild Skard : Switzerland lets women in: Ruth Dreifuss, Micheline Calmy-Rey and Doris Leuthard. In: Dies .: Women of power. Half a century of female presidents and prime ministers worldwide. Policy Press, Bristol 2014, ISBN 978-1-4473-1578-0 , pp. 404-407.

Web links

Commons : Micheline Calmy-Rey  - collection of images, videos and audio files

• Micheline Calmy-Rey on admin.ch
• Micheline Calmy-Rey on the Federal Council's website. ( Memento from July 16, 2011 in the Internet Archive )
• Micheline Calmy-Rey on the website of the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (FDFA). ( Memento from May 20, 2011 in the Internet Archive )
• Lucienne Hubler / CSC: Calmy (-Rey), Micheline. In: Historical Lexicon of Switzerland .
• Goodbye Micheline Calmy Rey. Video In: Rundschau . September 7, 2011 (6 minutes)
• Luciano Ferrari: "I don't see where Switzerland is going." Interview in: Tages-Anzeiger on December 27, 2014

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Swiss Federal Chancellery: The Confederation in Brief. P. 51. Published 2011.
2. ↑ Federal President Micheline Calmy-Rey will not run for re-election at the end of 2011. In: admin.ch from September 7, 2011.
3. ↑ Global Studies Institute - Professeurs. September 15, 2017, p. 1 , accessed on September 15, 2017 (français). 
4. ↑ Olivia Kühni, Claudia Blumer, Jan Derrer: Calmy-Rey after the worst election result in history: "That has no meaning". Tages-Anzeiger Online / Newsnetz, December 8, 2010, accessed December 8, 2010 . 
5. ↑ sda / rufi: Historically low election result for Calmy-Rey. (No longer available online.) Swiss television, December 8, 2010, archived from the original on February 9, 2011 ; Retrieved December 8, 2010 . 
6. ↑ sf / sprm: Calmy-Rey regards the election result as a political game. (No longer available online.) Swiss television, December 8, 2010, archived from the original on November 21, 2011 ; Retrieved December 8, 2010 . 
7. ↑ sda: “Deserved slap in the face” or “faint-hearted accounting”. Reactions to the punitive action against Calmy-Rey in the election of the Federal President. NZZ Online, December 8, 2010, accessed December 8, 2010 . 
8. ↑ Schengen / Dublin. Retrieved October 18, 2019 (French). 
9. ↑ Free movement of persons Switzerland - EU / EFTA. Retrieved October 18, 2019 . 
10. ↑ Les partis unis autour du milliard de cohésion. November 3, 2006, accessed October 18, 2019 (French). 
11. ↑ Micheline Calmy-Rey - Global Studies Institute - UNIGE. October 27, 2015, accessed October 18, 2019 (French). 
12. ↑ Magen David Adom (Red Star of David) and the Palestinian Red Crescent have signed an agreement brokered by Switzerland in Geneva. Retrieved October 18, 2019 . 
13. ↑ At Calmy-Rey, the style experts lift their hats in: 20 minutes from August 13, 2008
14. ↑ Micheline Calmy-Rey: New Years Address 2007 . Swiss Confederation. January 1, 2007. Retrieved May 11, 2008.
15. ^ List of speeches made by Micheline Calmy-Rey during her presidency. ( Memento of December 4, 2010 in the Internet Archive ) Archive version
16. ↑ Micheline Calmy-Rey: Is the multicultural society an illusion? (PDF; 60 kB) January 27, 2007. Archived from the original on October 30, 2007. Retrieved on January 13, 2011.
17. ↑ Micheline Calmy-Rey: Women and Power (PDF; 57 kB) EDA. April 28, 2007. Retrieved January 13, 2011.
18. ^ Peaceful Rütlifeier . St. Galler Tagblatt. August 2, 2007. Retrieved May 11, 2008.
19. ↑ Message on Human Rights Day (PDF; 16 kB) EDA. December 10, 2008. Retrieved January 13, 2011.
20. ^ Unloading: EDA quotes Turkish ambassador. In: 20 minutes from October 1, 2003.
21. ↑ Calmy-Rey reprimands the Chinese: Tibetan flags are allowed to fly . Day indicator. September 24, 2003. Retrieved May 11, 2008.
22. ↑ Calmy-Rey in Tehran . St. Galler Tagblatt. March 17, 2008. Retrieved January 13, 2011.
23. ↑ Grain of Salt . St. Galler Tagblatt. March 20, 2008. Retrieved January 13, 2011.
24. ↑ Bern and Pristina for the expansion of relations Neue Zürcher Zeitung, March 28, 2008
25. ↑ Calmy-Rey recommends negotiations on EU accession. Neue Zürcher Zeitung online, February 2, 2014, accessed on February 2, 2014 . 
26. ↑ Corporate Responsibility Initiative: Personalities. Retrieved August 3, 2020 . 
27. ↑ ^{a b} Res Strehle : Wanted: A Foreign Policy. Tages-Anzeiger (Zurich), March 28, 2008
28. ↑ Bettina Mutter: Almost nobody likes to praise Calmy-Rey anymore . Day indicator. May 5, 2008. Archived from the original on May 8, 2008. Retrieved May 10, 2008.
29. ↑ Burkhalter: “I'm probably the only foreign minister who has to be at home every Wednesday”. Retrieved October 18, 2019 (Swiss Standard German). 
30. ↑ Switzerland's priorities at the 72nd UN General Assembly. Retrieved October 18, 2019 . 
31. ↑ "Opening up is the reason for Switzerland's success" . In: Tages-Anzeiger . April 12, 2013, ISSN  1422-9994 ( tagesanzeiger.ch [accessed October 18, 2019]).
32. ^ New Jewish criticism of the gas deal with Iran . NZZOnline. April 29, 2008. Retrieved May 10, 2008.
33. ↑ Gas supply contract with Iran - and the human rights? Ed .: Humanrights.ch , April 15, 2008.
34. ↑ SWI swissinfo.ch, a branch of the Swiss Broadcasting Corporation: Micheline Calmy-Rey defends visit to Tehran. Retrieved October 18, 2019 . 
35. ↑ The Terrorist Whisperer . The world week . May 22, 2008. Retrieved May 22, 2008.
36. ↑ The kneeling . Look. March 22, 2008. Retrieved July 12, 2019.
37. ↑ James V. Grimaldi and Rebecca Ballhaus: UBS Deal Shows Clinton's Complicated Ties. Retrieved October 18, 2019 (American English). 
38. ^ Kosovo Prize for Ueli Leuenberger. ( Memento from April 7, 2013 in the archive.today web archive ) In: NZZ am Sonntag from March 17, 2013
39. ↑ Micheline Calmy-Rey honorée par l'Arménie . In: tdg.ch/ . ( tdg.ch [accessed on August 30, 2017]).
40. ↑ Micheline Calmy-Rey - Global Studies Institute - UNIGE. Retrieved September 15, 2017 (French). 
41. ↑ Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Monday decorated the former Swiss president, Micheline Calmy-Rey, with the Order of Friendship. In: press release. Embassy of the Russian Federation to the Swiss Confederation, 2014, p. 1 , archived from the original on March 8, 2014 ; accessed on March 8, 2014 (English). 
42. ^ Fabian Renz: Calmy-Rey honored by Putin minister. In: Basler Zeitung online edition. Basler Zeitung Medien , March 8, 2014, p. 1 , accessed March 8, 2014 . 
43. ^ L'ex-conseillère fédérale Micheline Calmy-Rey honorée au Kosovo . In: rts.ch . ( rts.ch [accessed on August 30, 2017]).
44. ^ Website of the City of Lausanne. ( Memento of November 13, 2011 in the Internet Archive ) Archive version
45. ↑ Luzi Bernet: In search of the roots. In: Neue Zürcher Zeitung . January 8, 2006.
46. ↑ blick.ch
47. ↑ hommages.ch

predecessor	Office	successor
Ruth Dreifuss	Member of the Swiss Federal Council 2003–2011	Alain Berset