Erwin LANC, Foreign Minister ret.

Erwin Lanc was born on May 17^th 1930 in Vienna. After his high school graduation he entered the university to study law and was working as furnishing salesman, later as public servant in the Federal Ministry of Social Administration. He served from 1955 to 1959 as Federal Secretary of the Austrian Youth Hostel Association, continued as bank employee and economist at the “Zentralsparkasse” (Savings bank) of the Viennese municipality (merged to: Bank Austria) and became Managing Director of the Center for Information for Communal Financing in 1965.

From 1960 to 1966 Erwin Lanc was member of the council of the Federal State of Vienna, from 1966 to 1983 Member of Parliament.

In his political career he showed his great personal interest in international politics. He got to know international politics from different perspectives – as Austrian delegate to the founding congress of the International Union of Socialist Youth after World War II, as well as from the perspective of the “high diplomacy”.

Before his election to the Austrian Parliament from 1966 to 1973 Erwin Lanc was member of the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the Austrian parliament, in 1970 he became chairman of the Committee on Economic Integration. In this function Erwin Lanc took part in the preparation of the treaties between Austria and the European Community and was member of the delegation who signed the treaty 1971 in Brussels. As Vice-Chairman of the Committee on the Federal Budget he negotiated the adaptation of the Austrian sales tax law to the EEC value-added tax system.

On September 18^th 1973, Erwin Lanc became Federal Minister of Transport and Communication and initiated the modernisation of the railway and telecommunication system on the basis of business plans.

From June 8^th 1977 to May 24^th 1983 was Minister of the Interior, from Mai 24 ^th 1983 to September 10^th 1984 he was Foreign Minister. Visits of Prime Minister Thatcher (UK) and Schlüter (Denmark) and a strong engagement for the EFTA-Nations, which have been threatened by the EC-domestic market concept, Erwin Lanc substantially contributed to Austria`s leading role in the development of the EEC and the Luxemburg Agreement of April 1984.

International activities marked also his two previous terms as Minister of the Austrian government. He participated intensively on the OECD-Minister meetings and was Chairman of the European Transportminister conference in 1974. As Minister of Interior responsible for questions of the municipalities, Lanc developed a close collaboration with the responsible decision making bodies of the European Council.

As reaction to the globalisation of security questions Erwin Lanc called for a close collaboration of the Ministers of the Interior of Germany, Switzerland, France and Italy. Being Austrian Minister of the Interior, Erwin Lanc established close reationships to Arab countries for security and economic reasons.

Personal visits to the United States of America, Canada and Australia, set the preconditions for the reception of mainly 50.000 polish refugees, coming to Austria 1980 and 1981.

In September 1984 Erwin Lanc left the government and returned to his occupation as bank manager. In May 1985 he became Managing Director of the „Z-Export- und Handelsbank Gesellschaft GmbH“, later Member of the Board of the „Bank Austria Handelsbank AG“. From 1985 to 1996 he was Chairman of the Advisory Board of the Austrian Business Agency (ICD) and the AWH “Allgemeine Wirtschaftsholding”, Vienna) from 1984 to 1994.

Erwin Lanc was founder of the Austrian-Sahaurian Society and is President of the International Institute for Peace, Vienna since 1988. 1999 he became President of the Austrian-Algerian Society and is in the Board of the Society for Austrian-Arab Relations.

From 1975 to 1993 he served as President of the Austrian Handball Federation and from 1984 to 2000 as President of the International Handball Federation. From 1992 to 1996 he was Member of the Council of the ASOIF (Association of Summer Olympic International Federations).

Erwin Lanc was in the socialist movement since his 16 year. He was member of the Board of the Viennese Social Democratic Party, from 1974-1987 Vice-Chairman of the Viennese Social Democratic Party and from 1978 to 1985 member of the Party executive of the Social Democratic Party of Austria.

Erwin Lanc is married and has two children from his first marriage.

Languages: German, English

Publication: 1996, „Sozialdemokratie in der Krise“, ProMedia Verlag, Vienna