Moritz Leuenberger
{{short description|85th President of the Swiss Confederation}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2023}}
{{Infobox Officeholder
| name = Moritz Leuenberger
| image = Moritz Leuenberger, 2009.jpg
| office6 = Member of the Swiss Federal Council
| term_start6 = 1 January 1995
| term_end6 = 1 November 2010
| predecessor6 = Otto Stich
| successor6 = Simonetta Sommaruga
| office = President of Switzerland
| vicepresident2 = Kaspar Villiger
| term_start2 = 1 January 2001
| term_end2 = 31 December 2001
| predecessor2 = Adolf Ogi
| successor2 = Kaspar Villiger
| vicepresident = Micheline Calmy-Rey
| term_start = 1 January 2006
| term_end = 31 December 2006
| predecessor = Samuel Schmid
| successor = Micheline Calmy-Rey
| office7 = Head of the Department of Environment, Transport, Energy and Communications
| term_start7 = 1 January 1995
| term_end7 = 1 November 2010
| predecessor7 = Adolf Ogi
| successor7 = Doris Leuthard
| office3 = Vice President of Switzerland
| president3 = Doris Leuthard
| term_start3 = 1 January 2010
| term_end3 = 1 November 2010
| predecessor3 = Doris Leuthard
| successor3 = Micheline Calmy-Rey
| president4 = Samuel Schmid
| term_start4 = 1 January 2005
| term_end4 = 31 December 2005
| predecessor4 = Samuel Schmid
| successor4 = Micheline Calmy-Rey
| president5 = Adolf Ogi
| term_start5 = 1 January 2000
| term_end5 = 1 December 2000
| predecessor5 = Adolf Ogi
| successor5 = Kaspar Villiger
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1946|9|21|df=y}}
| birth_place = Biel, Switzerland
| residence = Zürich
| death_date =
| death_place =
| party = Social Democratic Party
| spouse = Gret Loewensberg
| alma_mater = University of Zurich
| signature = Unterschrift Moritz Leuenberger.svg
}}
Moritz Leuenberger (born 21 September 1946) is a Swiss politician and lawyer who served as a Member of the Swiss Federal Council from 1995 to 2010. A member of the Social Democratic Party (SP/PS), he was President of the Swiss Confederation in 2001 and 2006. Leuenberger headed the Federal Department of Environment, Transport, Energy and Communications for the whole of his tenure as a Federal Councillor.
Career
File:Bundesrat der Schweiz 2001.jpg
File:Bundesrat der Schweiz 2006 a.jpg
A lawyer by occupation, Moritz Leuenberger managed his firm in Zürich until 1991. He was successively elected to the Zürich City Council (1974–1983), National Council (1979–1995) and Zürich Cantonal Government (1991–1995), where he headed the Department of Home Affairs and Justice. He presided over Mieterverband, the Swiss tenants' association, from 1972 to 1991.
Leuenberger was elected to the Federal Council on 27 September 1995 as a member of the Social Democratic Party, succeeding Otto Stich. He became head of the Federal Department of Environment, Transport, Energy and Communications; the name of the department was changed in 1998 to incorporate the term "Environment".
At a ceremony in Brussels, the Community of European Railways and Union des Industries Ferroviaires Européennes presented the 2009 European Railway Awards on 20 January 2009. Leuenberger was presented with the Political Award for his work to build and maintain a sustainable transportation policy.{{cite press release| url=http://www.cer.be/force-download.php?file=/media/Press/2009/090120_europearailwayaward.pdf| publisher=CER and UNIFE| date=20 January 2009| title=European rail sector celebrates European Railway Award 2009| format=PDF| access-date=16 February 2009| archive-date=25 March 2009| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090325173428/http://www.cer.be/force-download.php?file=/media/Press/2009/090120_europearailwayaward.pdf| url-status=dead}}{{cite news| url=http://www.swissinfo.ch/eng/news_digest/Leuenberger_picks_up_railway_award.html?siteSect=104&sid=10221532&cKey=1232515361000&ty=nd| title=Leuenberger picks up railway award| work=Swissinfo| date=20 January 2009| access-date=16 February 2009| archive-date=14 December 2019| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191214070100/http://www.swissinfo.ch/eng/news_digest/Leuenberger_picks_up_railway_award.html?siteSect=104&sid=10221532&cKey=1232515361000&ty=nd| url-status=dead}}
On 9 July 2010, Leuenberger announced he would leave the Federal Council as of 31 December 2010.{{cite news|url=http://www.swissinfo.ch/eng/Specials/Cabinet_Election/News/Long-serving_Swiss_cabinet_minister_resigns_.html?cid=16370158|title=Long-serving Swiss cabinet minister resigns|work=Swissinfo|date=9 July 2010|access-date=10 August 2010|archive-date=10 September 2012|archive-url=https://archive.today/20120910211901/http://www.swissinfo.ch/eng/Specials/Cabinet_Election/News/Long-serving_Swiss_cabinet_minister_resigns_.html?cid=16370158|url-status=dead}} At this time Hans-Rudolf Merz had been expected to resign as well and there were talks between the two about resigning together. Leuenberger's resignation however came as a surprise.{{cite news| url=http://www.nzz.ch/hintergrund/dossiers/erneuerung_im_bundesrat/der_ruecktritt_von_moritz_leuenberger/leuenberger_durchkreuzt_merz_plaene_1.6529385.html| title=Leuenberger durchkreuzt Merz' Pläne| work=NZZ| date=11 July 2010| access-date=10 August 2010| archive-date=14 December 2019| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191214070105/http://www.nzz.ch/hintergrund/dossiers/erneuerung_im_bundesrat/der_ruecktritt_von_moritz_leuenberger/leuenberger_durchkreuzt_merz_plaene_1.6529385.html| url-status=live}} One month later, on 6 August 2010, Merz also announced his resignation for October.{{cite news|url=http://www.swissinfo.ch/eng/Specials/Cabinet_Election/News/Embattled_finance_minister_bows_out.html?cid=20888998|title=Embattled finance minister bows out|work=Swissinfo|date=6 August 2010|access-date=10 August 2010|archive-date=29 September 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120929224206/http://www.swissinfo.ch/eng/Specials/Cabinet_Election/News/Embattled_finance_minister_bows_out.html?cid=20888998|url-status=live}} This led to the situation that the parliament would have had to elect a new Federal Councillor both in September and November. To avoid this situation, Leuenberger then announced he would change his resignation to allow for just one election for both new Federal Councillors.{{cite news|url=http://www.nzz.ch/hintergrund/dossiers/erneuerung_im_bundesrat/aktuelle_berichterstattung/bundesratsruecktritte_als_aergernis_1.7155647.html|title=Bundesratsrücktritte als Ärgernis|work=NZZ|date=10 August 2010|access-date=10 August 2010|archive-date=14 December 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191214070110/http://www.nzz.ch/hintergrund/dossiers/erneuerung_im_bundesrat/aktuelle_berichterstattung/bundesratsruecktritte_als_aergernis_1.7155647.html|url-status=live}}
Personal life
Moritz Leuenberger is the son of theologian Robert Leuenberger. He has been married to architect Gret Loewensberg since 2003 and has two sons.
Works
- Die Rose und der Stein : Grundwerte in der Tagespolitik: Reden und Texte, Zürich 2002. {{ISBN|3-85791-399-1}}
- Träume und Traktanden – Reden und Texte, 6. Aufl., Zürich 2002. {{ISBN|3-85791-348-7}}
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- {{Swiss Federal Councillor|moritz-leuenberger}}
- [https://web.archive.org/web/20070322053000/http://www.uvek.admin.ch/org/vorsteher/00481/index.html/?lang=en Department of the Environment, Transport, Energy and Communications]
- {{HDS|33679}}
- {{in lang|de}} [https://web.archive.org/web/20070316101603/http://moritzleuenberger.blueblog.ch/ Leuenberger's own blog site]
- [http://databot.ch/Moritz-Leuenberger-Rohrbach-P250312.html Business activities of Moritz Leuenberger], databot.ch {{in lang|de}}
{{commons category|Moritz Leuenberger}}
{{s-start}}
{{s-off}}
{{s-bef|before=Otto Stich}}
{{s-ttl|title={{nowrap|Member of the Swiss Federal Council}}|years=1995–2010}}
{{s-aft|after=Simonetta Sommaruga}}
|-
{{s-bef|before=Adolf Ogi}}
{{s-ttl|title=President of the Confederation|years=2001}}
{{s-aft|after=Kaspar Villiger}}
|-
{{s-bef|before=Samuel Schmid}}
{{s-ttl|title=President of the Confederation|years=2006}}
{{s-aft|after=Micheline Calmy-Rey}}
{{s-end}}
{{Swiss Presidents}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Leuenberger, Moritz}}
Category:Members of the Federal Council (Switzerland)
Category:Presidents of the Swiss Confederation
Category:Ministers of Environment, Transport, Energy and Communications of Switzerland
Category:People from Biel/Bienne