Erhard Busek

Erhard Busek
Vice-Chancellor of Austria
In office
1991–1995
Chancellor Franz Vranitzky
Preceded by Josef Riegler
Succeeded by Wolfgang Schüssel
Personal details
Born (1941-03-25) 25 March 1941
Vienna, Austria
Political party Austrian People's Party
Alma mater University of Vienna

Erhard Busek (born 25 March 1941 in Vienna, Austria) is a politician from the Christian-conservative People's Party (ÖVP). Throughout his political career, he was widely regarded as one of the leaders of the party's liberal wing.[1] At present he is Coordinator of the South-Eastern Cooperative Initiative (SECI) and Chairman of the Institute for Danube Region and Central Europe among other things.

Busek was chief of the party and Vice-Chancellor of Austria in the coalition of the Social Democratic Party of Austria with the People's Party between 1991–1995 and was an important reformer of the Austrian universities. From January 2002 until June 2008 Busek served as Special Co-ordinator of the Stability Pact for South Eastern Europe, the final person to hold the position.

Early life and education

Busek earned his Doctor of Laws at the University of Vienna in 1963.[2] During his studies, he also served as Chairman of the Austrian Youth Council. He is a Roman Catholic. He was a Boy Scout in his youth.[3][4]

Political career

Busek began his professional career in 1964 as legal adviser to the association of the parliamentarians of the Austrian People’s Party (ÖVP). He then served as Secretary General of the Austrian Federation for Trade and Commerce (1968–1975). In 1975 he was appointed Secretary General of the Austrian People’s Party and was elected Member of Parliament later that year. Busek gained additional experience in administration between 1968-1976 while with a publishing firm in the economic field. In 1976 Busek entered municipal politics. He was City Councilor and was elected Deputy-Mayor of Vienna in 1978, a position he held until 1987. He was appointed Minister for Science and Research in April 1989. From 1994 until May 1995 Busek was Minister for Education.

Vice-Chancellor of Austria, 1991–1995

Busek was elected Chairman of the Austrian People’s Party in 1991 and served as Vice-Chancellor of Austria in the government of Chancellor Franz Vranitzky from 1991 to 1995. In this position, he argued in favor of recognizing the independence of the Yugoslav republic of Slovenia, a move that would have put Austria outside the Western consensus on the issue.[5] The government lost its two-thirds majority in Parliament in the 1994 elections that gave increased support to Jörg Haider, a right-wing leader known for his anti-immigrant speeches.[6] However, both Vranitzky and Busek negotiated to continue their coalition and to lead Austria into the European Union in 1995.

At the April 1995 party congress, Wolfgang Schüssel took over the ÖVP chairmanship in a coup succeeding Busek and replacing the party’s ministers in the governing coalition.[7] Following his departure from the Austrian government, Busek was tipped as rector of the College of Europe in Bruges, the training ground for EU officials and diplomats, and as being the preferred choice of then President of the European Commission Jacques Santer for the post; the job instead went to Otto von der Gablentz.[8]

Role in European politics, 2000–2009

In early 2000 Busek was appointed Special Representative of the Austrian Government on EU Enlargement by Chancellor Wolfgang Schüssel. He served in that position until December 2001. From January 2002 until June 2008, Busek was the Special Co-ordinator of the Stability Pact for South Eastern Europe, succeeding Bodo Hombach in this Brussels-based position. During his time in office, he pressed for EU membership for the Western Balkan countries before Turkey’s accession to the Union.[9]

In 2009, Busek served as an adviser to the Czech EU Presidency.

Other activities

Busek has delivered many lectures on domestic and foreign topics and has participated in many conferences in Austria and abroad. He received honorary doctorates from the Universities of Kraków, of Bratislava, of Brasov and Czernowitz, of Liberec and the Webster-St. Louis University Vienna. He is vice-chancellor of the University of Applied Sciences Salzburg, Visiting Professor at Duke University, NC, USA, and at the University of Agriculture in Vienna. He is also teaching at the University Innsbruck and the University of Vienna. In addition his lectures are planned to be involved in the teaching programme of the Vienna University of Technology (Technische Universität Wien) and the University of Belgrade, Serbia.

Since 2008, Busek has been advising the Economic Initiative for Kosovo on promoting foreign direct investments in Kosovo.[10]

In addition, Busek has held paid and unpaid positions, including:

Every year Busek and Oliver Vujovic, SEEMO Secretary General, award the annual Erhard Busek SEEMO Award for Better Understanding in South East Europe, in collaboration with the South East Europe Media Organisation (SEEMO) in Vienna.

Recognition

Busek has received awards and decorations from Poland, Hungary, Italy, Bulgaria, Liechtenstein, Romania, the Czech Republic and Slovenia. He is Honorary Senator of the Medical University of Innsbruck and is laureate of the Corvinus-Prize of the Europa Institut Budapest.

Biography

[13]

2002 - 2008: Special Co-Coordinator of the Stability Pact for South Eastern Europe

2000 - 2001: Special Representative of the Austrian Government for the Enlargement of the European Union

1996 – present: Coordinator - Southeast European Cooperative Initiative (SECI)

1995 – present: Chairman - Institute for the Danube Region and Central Europe (IDM)

1991-1995 Vice-Chancellor - Republic of Austria Chairman - Austrian People’s Party

1994-1995 Minister for Education

1989-1994 Minister for Science and Research

1978-1987 Deputy Mayor and City Councillor - City of Vienna

1976-1989 Chairman - Vienna’s People’s Party

1976-1978 Member of Parliament

1975-1976 General Secretary - Austrian People’s Party

1972-1976 General Secretary - Austrian Association for Trade and Commerce

1964-1968 Secretary of the Parliament of the Austrian National Council

As of 1989 Collaboration with Transforming Economies

Before 1989 Engagement with Democratic and Dissident movements in Poland, Czechoslovakia, Yugoslavia, and Former Eastern Germany.

1959-1963 Doctor of Law, University of Vienna, Faculty of Law

1959 High School Degree, Vienna, Austria

Books

References

  1. James M. Markham (12 June 1986), Waldheim Pledges Fight Against Bias New York Times.
  2. "Who is who in the Austrian Parliament". Dr. Erhard Busek (in German). Republic of Austria. Retrieved 11 January 2016.
  3. "Eingeschlagene Pfade". Skills-100 Jahre Pfadfinder.Magazin zum Abenteuer des Lebens. (in German) (Pfadfinder und Pfadfinderinnen Österreichs und Monopol Verlag): 104–105. 2007.
  4. Kati Kieser;Lisa Niederdorfer (2010). "Dabei gewesen". Skills-Pfadfinderinnen und Aussen.Magazin zum Abenteuer des Lebens. (in German) (Pfadfinder und Pfadfinderinnen Österreichs und Monopol Verlag): 66–67.
  5. Henry Kamm (19 July 1991), Looking Back and Ahead, Austrian Wins 2 Points New York Times.
  6. Governing Coalition of Austria Loses Strength to Rightist Party New York Times, 10 October 1994.
  7. Top drawer European Voice, July 22, 1998.
  8. Busek tipped for college post European Voice, November 8, 1995.
  9. Andrew Beatty (January 11, 2006), ‘Balkan states should join before Turkey’ European Voice.
  10. Erhard Busek to advise ECIKS in promoting FDI to Kosovo http://www.eciks.org/english/lajme.php?action=total_news&main_id=855
  11. Erhard Busek wird Präsident des EU-Russland-Zentrums Der Standard, 31 March 2010.
  12. Erhard Busek wird Präsident des EU-Russland-Zentrums Der Standard, 31 March 2010.
  13. http://www.idm.at/_ber_uns/vorstand/Vorstandsvorsitzender--a47.html

External links

This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the Sunday, March 20, 2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.