Christian Schwarz-Schilling
Encyclopedia
Dr. Christian Schwarz-Schilling (born November 19, 1930, in Innsbruck
, Austria
), is a German
politician and entrepreneur. He is the son of the composer Reinhard Schwarz-Schilling
and is married to the author Marie-Luise Schwarz-Schilling with whom he has two children. He is a devout Catholic
.
at the Ernst-Moritz-Arndt Gymnasium
in Berlin
. He continued to study History
and East Asia
n Languages and Culture at the Ludwig Maximilian University in Munich
. In 1956 he was granted a Ph.D.
for his thesis on Chinese History, "Der Friede von Shan-Yüan 1005 n. Chr. und seine Auswirkungen auf die Beziehungen zwischen dem Chinesischen Reich und dem Liao-Reich der Kitan" (The Peace of Shan Yuan 1005 AD, and its Effects on the Relations between the Chinese Empire and the Liao-Empire of Kitan).
In 1957 he became manager of the battery factory Sonnenschein in Budingen in Hesse
, which he remained until 1982.
During this period he began to form an interest in regional politics, joining the Christian Democratic Union
in 1960. In 1964 he joined the regional board of the CDU in Hesse. In 1966 Schwarz-Schilling was elected into the regional parliament of Hesse and in 1967 he became the general secretary of the CDU in Hesse. Since 1971 Schwarz-Schilling became involved in national politics, becoming member of several councils: In 1971 he became a member of the Television Council of the ZDF
, which he left in 1982. Between 1975 and 1983 he was chairman of the coordination council for Media Politics of the CDU/CSU
.
and remained a member until 2002. During this time he served as the vice-chairman of the Small Business Union of the CDU/CSU
between 1977 and 1997. In 1979 he became president of the executive buro of the European Small Business Union, which he left in 1982. Between 1981 and 1982 he was chairperson of the Research Committee on New Information and Communication Technology of the Bundestag
In 1982 he was appointed Federal Minister for Post and Communication, in the first cabinet Kohl. Although he retained his post for the next three cabinets Kohl, Schwarz-Schilling was never part of Kohl's inner circle and is often regarded as an unremarkable minister. Under his ministry cable television was introduced in Germany and commercial television was allowed to broadcast.
In 1992 Schwarz-Schilling resigned his post in anger at Germany's inaction over atrocities in the then Yugoslavia
— rebuffing Chancellor Kohl's protestations that Germany's post-war constitution barred it from stepping in. He told the chancellor he was "ashamed" to belong to such a government, saying he had entered politics in the first place to ensure that atrocities like those perpetrated by the Nazis
"never happen again." The Munich
daily Sueddeutsche Zeitung later commented that "most notable act in office was leaving it".
As Yugoslavia lurched into chaos, Schwarz-Schilling began to try to mediate between the factions — a role later formalised in the Washington agreement
of 1994, and which he held until 2004.
During and after the war, Schwarz-Schilling travelled around the country, trying to resolve disputes and later overseeing the return of some of the 2.2 million refugees — half the population — created by the conflict. He combined this with the position of CEO of his own corporation, the Dr. Schwarz-Schilling and Partner GmbH.
In 1995 he became chairperson of the sub-committee on Human Rights and Humanitarian Aid. In 1998 the sub-committee became a full committee and Schwarz-Schilling became its vice-chairperson, serving until 2002.
(OHR) — a post created by the 1995 Dayton Agreement
— and as the EU's special representative in Bosnia and Herzegovina. On January 31, 2006 he was appointed as such. Schwarz-Schilling was nominated by the Bosniak and Bosnian Serb presidents. He has cast his role as that of "advisor" to the country who wants to "listen to the people" — in contrast to his predecessor Ashdown, who attracted criticism particularly from Bosnian Serbs for relying too heavily on his powers to force through legislation and sack elected officials.
Under Schwarz-Schilling, the OHR seemed to soften its invasiveness, thanks to pressures from the Council of Europe
and a growing EU involvement. The number of OHR legislative initiatives and of dismissed officials lowered. The EU decision to shut down the OHR by June 2007 unexpectedly arose disappointment and concern in the Bosnian population, NGOs, and politicians.
Slovak diplomat Miroslav Lajčák
replaced Christian Schwarz-Schilling - who was originally intended to be the last holder of the post - on 30 June 2007.
Lajčák retook a more intrusive approach in the work of the OHR, making it seem that apparently decreased intrusiveness was mostly due to the "weak personality" of Schwarz-Schilling.
Innsbruck
- Main sights :- Buildings :*Golden Roof*Kaiserliche Hofburg *Hofkirche with the cenotaph of Maximilian I, Holy Roman Emperor*Altes Landhaus...
, Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
), is a German
Politics of Germany
The Federal Republic of Germany is a federal parliamentary republic, based on representative democracy. The Chancellor is the head of government, while the President of Germany is the head of state, which is a ceremonial role but with substantial reserve powers.Executive power is vested in the...
politician and entrepreneur. He is the son of the composer Reinhard Schwarz-Schilling
Reinhard Schwarz-Schilling
Reinhard Schwarz-Schilling was a German composer.The son of a chemical manufacturer, Schwarz-Schilling embarked upon his musical studies in 1922, first in Munich and later in Cologne, with several extended breaks in Italy. From 1927 to 1929, he studied under Heinrich Kaminski, who also taught Carl...
and is married to the author Marie-Luise Schwarz-Schilling with whom he has two children. He is a devout Catholic
Roman Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...
.
Career before politics
In 1950 Schwarz-Schilling got his abiturAbitur
Abitur is a designation used in Germany, Finland and Estonia for final exams that pupils take at the end of their secondary education, usually after 12 or 13 years of schooling, see also for Germany Abitur after twelve years.The Zeugnis der Allgemeinen Hochschulreife, often referred to as...
at the Ernst-Moritz-Arndt Gymnasium
Gymnasium (school)
A gymnasium is a type of school providing secondary education in some parts of Europe, comparable to English grammar schools or sixth form colleges and U.S. college preparatory high schools. The word γυμνάσιον was used in Ancient Greece, meaning a locality for both physical and intellectual...
in Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
. He continued to study History
History
History is the discovery, collection, organization, and presentation of information about past events. History can also mean the period of time after writing was invented. Scholars who write about history are called historians...
and East Asia
East Asia
East Asia or Eastern Asia is a subregion of Asia that can be defined in either geographical or cultural terms...
n Languages and Culture at the Ludwig Maximilian University in Munich
Munich
Munich The city's motto is "" . Before 2006, it was "Weltstadt mit Herz" . Its native name, , is derived from the Old High German Munichen, meaning "by the monks' place". The city's name derives from the monks of the Benedictine order who founded the city; hence the monk depicted on the city's coat...
. In 1956 he was granted a Ph.D.
Ph.D.
A Ph.D. is a Doctor of Philosophy, an academic degree.Ph.D. may also refer to:* Ph.D. , a 1980s British group*Piled Higher and Deeper, a web comic strip*PhD: Phantasy Degree, a Korean comic series* PhD Docbook renderer, an XML renderer...
for his thesis on Chinese History, "Der Friede von Shan-Yüan 1005 n. Chr. und seine Auswirkungen auf die Beziehungen zwischen dem Chinesischen Reich und dem Liao-Reich der Kitan" (The Peace of Shan Yuan 1005 AD, and its Effects on the Relations between the Chinese Empire and the Liao-Empire of Kitan).
In 1957 he became manager of the battery factory Sonnenschein in Budingen in Hesse
Hesse
Hesse or Hessia is both a cultural region of Germany and the name of an individual German state.* The cultural region of Hesse includes both the State of Hesse and the area known as Rhenish Hesse in the neighbouring Rhineland-Palatinate state...
, which he remained until 1982.
During this period he began to form an interest in regional politics, joining the Christian Democratic Union
Christian Democratic Union (Germany)
The Christian Democratic Union of Germany is a Christian democratic and conservative political party in Germany. It is regarded as on the centre-right of the German political spectrum...
in 1960. In 1964 he joined the regional board of the CDU in Hesse. In 1966 Schwarz-Schilling was elected into the regional parliament of Hesse and in 1967 he became the general secretary of the CDU in Hesse. Since 1971 Schwarz-Schilling became involved in national politics, becoming member of several councils: In 1971 he became a member of the Television Council of the ZDF
ZDF
Zweites Deutsches Fernsehen , ZDF, is a public-service German television broadcaster based in Mainz . It is run as an independent non-profit institution, which was founded by the German federal states . The ZDF is financed by television licence fees called GEZ and advertising revenues...
, which he left in 1982. Between 1975 and 1983 he was chairman of the coordination council for Media Politics of the CDU/CSU
Christian Social Union of Bavaria
The Christian Social Union in Bavaria is a Christian democratic and conservative political party in Germany. It operates only in the state of Bavaria, while its sister party, the Christian Democratic Union , operates in the other 15 states of Germany...
.
Political career
In 1976 Schwarz-Schilling was elected into the BundestagBundestag
The Bundestag is a federal legislative body in Germany. In practice Germany is governed by a bicameral legislature, of which the Bundestag serves as the lower house and the Bundesrat the upper house. The Bundestag is established by the German Basic Law of 1949, as the successor to the earlier...
and remained a member until 2002. During this time he served as the vice-chairman of the Small Business Union of the CDU/CSU
CDU/CSU
CDU/CSU, unofficially also referred to as the Union parties or the Union, is the name of the Bundestag parliamentary faction comprising the Christian Democratic Union of Germany and the Christian Social Union of Bavaria , considered to be sister parties...
between 1977 and 1997. In 1979 he became president of the executive buro of the European Small Business Union, which he left in 1982. Between 1981 and 1982 he was chairperson of the Research Committee on New Information and Communication Technology of the Bundestag
In 1982 he was appointed Federal Minister for Post and Communication, in the first cabinet Kohl. Although he retained his post for the next three cabinets Kohl, Schwarz-Schilling was never part of Kohl's inner circle and is often regarded as an unremarkable minister. Under his ministry cable television was introduced in Germany and commercial television was allowed to broadcast.
In 1992 Schwarz-Schilling resigned his post in anger at Germany's inaction over atrocities in the then Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia refers to three political entities that existed successively on the western part of the Balkans during most of the 20th century....
— rebuffing Chancellor Kohl's protestations that Germany's post-war constitution barred it from stepping in. He told the chancellor he was "ashamed" to belong to such a government, saying he had entered politics in the first place to ensure that atrocities like those perpetrated by the Nazis
Nazism
Nazism, the common short form name of National Socialism was the ideology and practice of the Nazi Party and of Nazi Germany...
"never happen again." The Munich
Munich
Munich The city's motto is "" . Before 2006, it was "Weltstadt mit Herz" . Its native name, , is derived from the Old High German Munichen, meaning "by the monks' place". The city's name derives from the monks of the Benedictine order who founded the city; hence the monk depicted on the city's coat...
daily Sueddeutsche Zeitung later commented that "most notable act in office was leaving it".
As Yugoslavia lurched into chaos, Schwarz-Schilling began to try to mediate between the factions — a role later formalised in the Washington agreement
Washington Agreement
The Washington Agreement was a ceasefire agreement between the warring Croatian Republic of Herzeg-Bosnia and the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina, signed in Washington on 18 March 1994 and Vienna. It was signed by Bosnian Prime Minister Haris Silajdžić, Croatian Foreign Minister Mate Granić and...
of 1994, and which he held until 2004.
During and after the war, Schwarz-Schilling travelled around the country, trying to resolve disputes and later overseeing the return of some of the 2.2 million refugees — half the population — created by the conflict. He combined this with the position of CEO of his own corporation, the Dr. Schwarz-Schilling and Partner GmbH.
In 1995 he became chairperson of the sub-committee on Human Rights and Humanitarian Aid. In 1998 the sub-committee became a full committee and Schwarz-Schilling became its vice-chairperson, serving until 2002.
International political career
On December 14, 2005, he was confirmed to replace Lord Ashdown of Norton-sub-Hamdon both as the High RepresentativeHigh Representative for Bosnia and Herzegovina
The High Representative for Bosnia and Herzegovina, with the Office of the High Representative in Bosnia and Herzegovina, was created in 1995 immediately after the Dayton Peace Agreement to oversee the civilian implementation of this agreement. The High Representative and the OHR represent the...
(OHR) — a post created by the 1995 Dayton Agreement
Dayton Agreement
The General Framework Agreement for Peace in Bosnia and Herzegovina, also known as the Dayton Agreement, Dayton Accords, Paris Protocol or Dayton-Paris Agreement, is the peace agreement reached at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base near Dayton, Ohio in November 1995, and formally signed in Paris on...
— and as the EU's special representative in Bosnia and Herzegovina. On January 31, 2006 he was appointed as such. Schwarz-Schilling was nominated by the Bosniak and Bosnian Serb presidents. He has cast his role as that of "advisor" to the country who wants to "listen to the people" — in contrast to his predecessor Ashdown, who attracted criticism particularly from Bosnian Serbs for relying too heavily on his powers to force through legislation and sack elected officials.
Under Schwarz-Schilling, the OHR seemed to soften its invasiveness, thanks to pressures from the Council of Europe
Council of Europe
The Council of Europe is an international organisation promoting co-operation between all countries of Europe in the areas of legal standards, human rights, democratic development, the rule of law and cultural co-operation...
and a growing EU involvement. The number of OHR legislative initiatives and of dismissed officials lowered. The EU decision to shut down the OHR by June 2007 unexpectedly arose disappointment and concern in the Bosnian population, NGOs, and politicians.
Slovak diplomat Miroslav Lajčák
Miroslav Lajcák
Dr. Miroslav Lajčák is a Slovak diplomat.Lajčák is a law graduate from the Comenius University in Bratislava. He holds a Ph.D. in international relations from the State Institute of International Relations in Moscow and is also a graduate of the George C...
replaced Christian Schwarz-Schilling - who was originally intended to be the last holder of the post - on 30 June 2007.
Lajčák retook a more intrusive approach in the work of the OHR, making it seem that apparently decreased intrusiveness was mostly due to the "weak personality" of Schwarz-Schilling.
Trivia
- In 1992 Schwarz-Schilling received the Achievement Cross with Star of the Order of Achievement of the Federal Republic of Germany
- In 1995 he became Honorary Doctor of Business Administration of the Bryant College in SmithfieldSmithfield, Rhode IslandSmithfield is a town in Providence County, Rhode Island, United States. It includes the historic villages of Esmond, Georgiaville, Mountaindale, Hanton City, Stillwater and Greenville...
, USA. - In 2004 he was made an honorary citizen of the town Büdingen
- In 2005 he received the Manfred Wörner Medal for "special meritorious service to peace and freedom in Europe".
- In 2007 he received the Hessian Peace Prize for his efforts to end the atrocities in Bosnia and HerzegovinaBosnia and HerzegovinaBosnia and Herzegovina , sometimes called Bosnia-Herzegovina or simply Bosnia, is a country in Southern Europe, on the Balkan Peninsula. Bordered by Croatia to the north, west and south, Serbia to the east, and Montenegro to the southeast, Bosnia and Herzegovina is almost landlocked, except for the...
during and after the war.