Franz von Däniken

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Franz von Däniken (born October 16, 1949 in Winterthur ) is a Swiss lawyer and diplomat .

Life

After studying law at the University of Zurich , which he completed with a doctorate , he joined the Swiss diplomatic service in 1976. He began working in the Swiss Foreign Ministry at the Development Cooperation Directorate. From 1981 to 1986 he worked for the Swiss Mission to the European Communities (EC). From 1986 to 1989 he worked at the Swiss Embassy in London .

From 1989 to 1993 he was Deputy Director in the Directorate for International Law in the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (FDFA). In this capacity, he headed, among other things, the Swiss delegation to the international central commission for navigation on the Rhine . He was also responsible for Switzerland's relations with the Principality of Liechtenstein . From 1993 to 1999 he headed the Political Department in the FDFA, which was responsible for political relations between Switzerland and the countries of Europe and North America.

In 1999 von Däniken was appointed State Secretary in the Political Directorate of the FDFA by the Federal Council . He performed this task until 2005.

In 2005 he left the diplomatic service to devote himself to building a newly established private foundation. The Drosos Foundation , based in Zurich, works to improve the living conditions of people in distress. The Drosos Foundation, one of the largest of its kind in Switzerland, supports social projects in Switzerland and especially abroad. In 2012 von Däniken resigned as a delegate of the Board of Trustees, but remains associated with the Foundation as a member of the Board of Trustees.

Achievements in foreign policy

Von Däniken has dealt with fundamental questions of foreign policy in various functions. As head of Political Department I, he was responsible for shaping relations with Central and Eastern Europe in the 1990s. This also included the formulation of Switzerland's Balkan policy.

The foreign policy report from 2000 bears his signature. One of the most important tasks as State Secretary was the preparations for Switzerland's accession to the UN. He also initiated a new round of bilateral negotiations with the EU and accompanied them through to their conclusion. He gave the impetus for the creation of a federal law on civil peacebuilding. He campaigned for the expansion of relations between Switzerland and the USA , which were tarnished in the 1990s. He promoted the creation of a Joint Economic Commission Switzerland / USA as well as the establishment of parliamentary groups in Switzerland and the USA, which take care of the bilateral relations between Switzerland and the USA.

He also took a public position on fundamental questions of foreign policy. In an article published in the NZZaS in October 2003, he investigated the question of power and law in foreign policy. After leaving diplomacy, he continued to deal with foreign policy issues in public. This also includes an essay on the relative importance of state sovereignty in a globally networked world, which he published in the NZZaS in August 2008.

Memberships

Von Däniken is a member of the board of the European Institute at the University of Zurich (EIZ). He is a member of the Board of Trustees of the Swiss Institute for Art Research SIK-ISEA. Since 1987 he has been a member of the Royal Automobile Club (RAC) in London.

Works

  • Legal and factual issues in liability litigation . Schulthess, Zurich 1976, ISBN 3-7255-1753-3 (dissertation, University of Zurich, 1976).
  • End time for Switzerland? In: Volkshochschule des Kantons Zürich (Ed.): End times for small states . Utzinger / Stemmle, Rieden near Baden 1996, ISBN 3-908688-12-4 .
  • Peace policy goals of Swiss foreign policy . In: Switzerland's Peace Policy: Actors - Instruments - Perspectives . Swisspeace , Bern 2002, ISBN 3-908230-50-0 ( online ).
  • Where does Switzerland stand today? In: Katja Gentinetta , Georg Kohler (eds.): Sovereignty in the acid test . NZZ Libro, Zurich 2010, ISBN 978-3-03823-649-8 .

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Neue Zürcher Zeitung of June 17, 2013: State delimitation and democracy. Retrieved September 17, 2013 .
  2. ^ Neue Zürcher Zeitung of May 18, 2006: Large niches for independent help. Retrieved September 18, 2013 .
  3. ↑ Neue Zürcher Zeitung of February 7, 2012: Von Däniken gives up office as Drosos boss. Retrieved September 18, 2013 .
  4. ^ Neue Zürcher Zeitung of September 11, 2011: Franz von Däniken. Retrieved September 18, 2013 .
  5. ^ Neue Zürcher Zeitung of October 12, 2003: Law and Power in Foreign Policy. Retrieved September 20, 2013 .
  6. ↑ Neue Zürcher Zeitung of August 24, 2008: Myth of sovereign Switzerland. Retrieved September 18, 2013 .
personal data
SURNAME Däniken, Franz von
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Swiss lawyer and diplomat
DATE OF BIRTH October 16, 1949
PLACE OF BIRTH Winterthur