Flavio Cotti

Flavio Cotti
Cotti in 1997
President of Switzerland
In office 1 January 1991 – 31 December 1991
Preceded by	Arnold Koller
Succeeded by	René Felber
In office 1 January 1998 – 31 December 1998
Preceded by	Arnold Koller
Succeeded by	Ruth Dreifuss
Member of the Swiss Federal Council
In office 1 January 1987 – 30 April 1999
Preceded by	Alphons Egli
Succeeded by	Joseph Deiss
Personal details
Born	(1939-10-18)18 October 1939 Prato-Sornico,Switzerland
Died	16 December 2020(2020-12-16)(aged 81) Locarno,Switzerland
Political party	Christian Democratic People's Party

Flavio Cotti(18 October 1939– 16 December 2020) was a Swiss politician who served as member of theFederal Councilfrom 1986 to 1999. He was a member of theChristian Democratic People's Partyfrom thecanton of Ticino.In the 1990s, Cotti led the Swiss government's unsuccessful attempts to further Switzerland'spolitical integrationinto theEuropean Union.He wasPresident of the Confederationin 1991 and 1998 and headed the departments ofHome AffairsandForeign Affairs.

Early life and political career

Cotti was born inMuralto.After studies of law inFribourg,he practised law in Locarno and pursued a political career in his nativeTicino.

In 1962, he headed the newly foundedPartito popolare democratico ticinese.In 1981 he was elected president of the cantonal Christian Democratic Party, and served as president of the national party from 1981 to 1984.

Cotti was a member of the cantonal parliament from 1962 to 1975. He was elected to the cantonal government of Ticino in 1975.In 1983, he was elected to the national parliament's lower house, theNational Council.

Federal Council

Cotti was elected to theFederal Council of Switzerlandon 10 December 1986, succeedingAlphons Egli,and resigned on 30 April 1999.During his time in office he headed theFederal Department of Home Affairs(1987–1993)and theFederal Department of Foreign Affairs(1994–1999).He wasPresident of the Confederationtwice, first in 1991 and then again in 1998.

Cotti's political philosophy was one of optimisticglobalism,and he liked to be seen as a visionary and as anhomme des lettres.A convincedEurophile,Cotti was instrumental in bringing about the Federal Council's 1992 decision to seek Swiss membership of theEuropean Union– a move that backfired a few months later when Swiss voters rejected membership in theEuropean Economic Area,blocking further Swiss integration with the EU.In this and other areas, Cotti's visions proved incompatible with Switzerland's complicated and slowconsensus politics,which earned him the nickname of "minister of announcements" (Ankündigungsminister).

As Switzerland's foreign minister since 1994, Cotti helped salvageSwitzerland's relationship with the EUby negotiating and concluding a series of treaties that now govern Swiss–EU relations.He led Swiss negotiations to settleclaims of Holocaust survivors against Switzerland and Swiss banks.He was a strong advocate of Switzerland's accession to theUnited Nations,which voters only agreed to after his time in office in 2002.Cotti also prominently represented the country abroad, gaining international recognition as the first Swiss president of theOSCE.

Post-ministerial life

After retiring from politics, Cotti served in leading advisory positions in major Swiss companies, including on the board ofCredit Suisse.

Cotti died fromCOVID-19on 16 December 2020, at the age of 81, during theCOVID-19 pandemic in Switzerland.

External links

• Profile of Flavio Cottiwith election results on thewebsite of the Swiss Federal Council.
• Flavio Cottiin theGerman National Librarycatalogue