OLD Advisory Board

Erhard Busek was born in 1941 in Vienna. He received his doctor of law degree in 1963 at the University of Vienna. He began his professional carrier as a legal advisor of the parliamentarians of the Christian – conservative Austrian People’s Party (ÖVP), where he pursued his political carreer later. From 1989 he was appointed as Minister for Science and Research. In 1991 Busek became Chairman of the Austrian People’s Party and he served as Vice-Chancellor of Austria in the decisive period of Austria’s joining the EU. In early 2000 Busek was appointed as Special Representative of the Austrian Government on EU-Enlargement, which position he held until the end of 2001. Between 2002-2008 he served as Special Co-ordinator of the Stability Pact for South Eastern Europe. He was Chairman of the Institute of Danube Region and Central Europe, Jean-Monnet-Professor ad personam, Co-Chair of the Commission on Radio and Television Policy: Central and Eastern Europe and Member of the European Council on Tolerance and Reconciliation. He has written extensively on South East and Central Europe, democratic reform, and economic and environmental cooperation. He passed away on 14 March 2022.