Hans Schaffner

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Hans Schaffner

Hans Schaffner (born December 16, 1908 in Interlaken ; † November 26, 2004 in Bern ; entitled to live in Gränichen and Unterseen ) was a Swiss politician ( FDP ). As Federal Councilor he was head of the Federal Department of Economic Affairs (FDEA) and once held the office of Federal President .

Life

After studying law at the University of Bern , Schaffner joined the federal administration in 1938 . In 1941 he became head of the War Economics Center and, in collaboration with Friedrich Traugott Wahlen, was responsible for ensuring that the population was supplied with enough food and heating material. After the war, Schaffner moved to the trade department , which later became the Federal Office for Foreign Trade (today merged into the State Secretariat for Economic Affairs ). As director of the trade department, he played a key role in the creation of the European Free Trade Association (EFTA). In 1958, after the European Economic Community (EEC) was founded, Switzerland was threatened with isolation from European trade policy. Schaffner organized a meeting with his colleagues from the non-EEC countries, at which the idea of ​​a free trade area was worked out. This meeting went down in Efta history as the "official conspiracy", and Schaffner was referred to as the "father of Efta".

On June 15, 1961, he was elected to the Federal Council. Because of his hometown Gränichen, he was considered a representative of the canton of Aargau . During his tenure, he headed the Federal Department of Economic Affairs (FDEA). He was committed to the integration of Switzerland in Europe and campaigned for Switzerland to play an active role in Efta. He was Federal President in 1966 and Vice President in 1965. On December 31, 1969, he resigned for health reasons.

After his resignation from the Federal Council, Schaffner took part in the group management meetings of Brown, Boveri & Cie (BBC) from 1970 with regard to the prospective assumption of the presidency of the BBC. At the following shareholders' meeting in the summer of 1970, Schaffner was elected to the Board of Directors. During the discussion, the President of the BBC House Association strongly criticized the conductors election. Days afterwards, Schaffner resigned his position as a member of the board of directors due to the criticism that flared up.

Schaffner was later involved in various international commissions, including the UN expert group on the activities of multinational corporations in the Third World .

Hans Schaffner was only the third Federal Councilor to be elected to the state government without having previously belonged to the federal councils or a cantonal government council.

Election results in the Federal Assembly

  • 1961: Election to the Federal Council with 175 votes (absolute majority: 108 votes)
  • 1963: Re-election as Federal Council with 171 votes (absolute majority: 98 votes)
  • 1964: Election for Vice President of the Federal Council with 190 votes (absolute majority: 98 votes)
  • 1965: Election to the Federal President with 198 votes (absolute majority: 107 votes)
  • 1967: Re-election as Federal Council with 162 votes (absolute majority: 92 votes)

literature

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Werner Catrina: BBC - gloss, crisis, fusion . Orell Füssli Verlag, Zurich 1991. ISBN 3 280 02042 5 . Pp. 135-137
  2. ^ Former Federal Councilor Hans Schaffner has died. In: Swissinfo . November 30, 2004.
predecessor Office successor
Max Petitpierre Member of the Swiss Federal Council
1961–1969 		Ernst Brugger
personal data
SURNAME Conductor, Hans
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Swiss politician (FDP)
DATE OF BIRTH December 16, 1908
PLACE OF BIRTH Interlaken
DATE OF DEATH November 26, 2004
Place of death Bern