Christian Schwarz-Schilling - Political Career

Political Career

In 1976 Schwarz-Schilling was elected into the Bundestag 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.