From 2000 to 2007, Wolfgang Schüssel served as Federal Chancellor of Austria, chairing the European Council during Austria‘s EU Presidency in the first half of 2006.
His term in office saw the introduction of the Euro, a comprehensive reform of Austria’s pension system, the consolidation of the country‘s budget, the privatization of nationalized industries, as well as restitution payments to the victims of National Socialism.
From 1995 to 2007, Mr Schüssel was the National Chairman of the Austrian People‘s Party. From 1989 to 1995 he served as Minister of Economic Affairs, and from 1995 to 1999 as Vice-Chancellor and Federal Minister for Foreign Affairs. Mr Schüssel played a key role in Austria’s accession to the European Union and during the country‘s first Presidency of the EU Council.
Mr Schüssel was born in Vienna in 1945 and received his doctorate in law from Vienna University in 1968. Mr Schüssel is a member of the Board of Trustees of the Allensbach Institute, since October 2015 Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Konrad Adenauer Foundation. From 2007-2017 he has been a Member of the Board of Trustees of the Bertelsmann Foundation. Since 2008 Wolfgang Schüssel has been an active President of the Foreign Policy and United Nations Association of Austria.
