Carl Bildt - Early Career

Early Career

While studying at Stockholm University, Bildt was against the occupation of the Student Union Building in 1968 and was one of the co-founders of Borgerliga Studenter – Opposition '68 later the same year. He served as chairman of the FMSF Confederation of Swedish Conservative and Liberal Students, a centre-right student organisation, in the early 1970s. Carl Bildt also shown his commitment with the European Union project by joining the Young European Federalists and later becoming vice president of the Swedish section. He has recently stated through his twitter account: "I still believe that we must continue building federation of nation states. Necessary evolution to meet new challenges.

When the non-socialist formed government in 1976, Bildt came to serve as the Moderate party coordinator in his capacity as close collaborator of the then party leader and Minister of Economy Gösta Bohman. Bildt became a Member of Parliament in 1979, although he instead served as State Secretary for Policy Coordination in the non-socialist government reformed after that election. As an MP in the early eighties, he became noted as an incisive and combative debater on foreign affairs, and found himself pitted against Prime Minister Olof Palme. Bildt was elected leader of the Moderate Party in 1986, succeeding Ulf Adelsohn. In 1991 the Social Democrats were defeated by a four-party coalition led by Bildt's Moderates.