Joseph Deiss (born January 18, 1946) is an economist and Swiss politician. He is married with three sons.

Political Career

He was elected to the Swiss Federal Council on March 11, 1999. He is affiliated to the Christian Democratic People's Party (CVP/PDC). In office, he heads the following departments:

• Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (1999 - 2002)
• Federal Department of Economic Affairs (since 2003)

Following the non-reelection of Ruth Metzler-Arnold on December 10, 2003, he was elected President of the Confederation one year earlier (for the 2004 term), and is the only remaining representative of his party in the Council.

He started his political career in 1981 as a representative of his party in the cantonal parliament of Fribourg. In 1991 he became the president of the cantonal parliament for one year. Between 1982 and 1996 Deiss was the mayor of his home village Barberêche (FR).

In 1991 he was elected into the National Council. From 1995 to 1996 Deiss was vice-president of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the National Council. In 1996 he was made president of the committee in charge of the total revision of the Swiss Constitution .

Professional Career

Joseph Deiss studied economics and social sciences for his first degree at the University of Fribourg. He continued to complete a doctorate at the same university after which he spent some time doing research at King's College at the University of Cambridge.

After this period of research Joseph Deiss took on the post of lecturing Economics at the University of Fribourg. In 1983 he was made visiting professor at a number of Swiss universities: ETH Zurich, University of Lausanne and University of Geneva.

From 1993 to 1996 Joseph Deiss acted as National Price Supervisor . He then returned to the University of Fribourg to become the Dean of the faculty of economics and social sciences. At this time at university, Joseph Deiss was also the chairman of the Board of Directors at Schumacher AG in Schmitten (FR) and chairman of the Raiffeisenbank in Haut-Lac , Courtepin (FR).

Bibliography

• Manuel d'économie politique, with Danielle Meuwly, 1st edition 1994, reedited.
• Initiation à l'économie politique : analyse économique de la Suisse, 1st edition 1982, reedited.
• Economie politique et politique économique de la Suisse, 1st edition 1979, reedited.
• The regional adjustment process and regional monetary policy, 1978.
• La théorie pure des termes de l'échange international, doctorate thesis, 1971.

External link

• Official biography