Michael Ambühl is to become State Secretary for International Financial and Tax Matters in the FDF

Bern, 13.01.2010 - In its meeting today, the Federal Council appointed Michael Ambühl as the State Secretary for International Financial and Tax Matters in the Federal Department of Finance (FDF). At the same time the Federal Council appointed Alexander Karrer as the Deputy State Secretary. The newly-created State Secretariat in the FDF will serve the purpose of reinforcing Switzerland's international position in financial and tax matters. These appointments require the approval of the Finance Delegation of the Federal Assembly. The appointees will take up office on 1 March 2010.

The State Secretariat is responsible for the coordination and strategic management of international financial, monetary and tax matters and reports to the Head of the Federal Department of Finance (FDF). Today the Federal Council appointed Michael Ambühl as the State Secretary of the new unit in the FDF. Mr. Ambühl will represent Switzerland's interests abroad concerning financial and tax matters and will lead negotiations in these areas. In its meeting today, the Federal Council in addition appointed Alexander Karrer as the Deputy State Secretary.

It is the task of the State Secretariat for International Financial and Tax Matters to safeguard Switzerland's interests in the International Monetary Fund and in the Financial Stability Board, as well as to actively participate in international efforts to combat financial crime. Moreover, it will analyse developments in the financial markets in Switzerland and abroad, and will further develop legislation concerning the financial sector.

Michael Ambühl

Michael Ambühl was born in 1951 and is a highly-regarded diplomat and negotiator. He is very well acquainted with the topics with which he will be confronted. Since 2005 he has been the State Secretary and Head of the Directorate of Political Affairs in the Federal Department for Foreign Affairs (FDFA). Last summer he led negotiations between Switzerland and the US concerning UBS. In 1999 he was appointed ambassador and acted as head of the FDFA/FDEA Integration Office until 2005. From 2001-2004 he was Switzerland's lead negotiator in the second series of bilateral negotiations. Previously he worked as a member of the negotiating team for the first series of bilateral negotiations in the Swiss Mission to the European Union in Brussels amongst other things, and held office as head of the economic division of our embassy in New Delhi. Mr. Ambühl studied management science and applied mathematics at the Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich. He has a doctorate in technical sciences.

Alexander Karrer

Alexander Karrer was born in 1957 and in 2002 developed the Monetary Affairs and International Finance Division in the FDF as its head in the position of ambassador and has been running it since then. Previously he was, amongst other things, a negotiator in the GATT Uruguay Round for the Federal Office for Foreign Economic Affairs (FOFEA), an adviser on economic matters in Tokyo (FDFA) and Personal Adviser to Federal Councillor Kaspar Villiger. Mr. Karrer holds a degree in political science (lic. ès sc. pol.) from the Graduate Institute of International Studies (HEI) in Geneva.


Address for enquiries

Tanja Kocher, Head of FDF Communications, tel. 031 322 63 01



Publisher

Federal Department of Finance
https://www.efd.admin.ch/efd/en/home.html

https://www.admin.ch/content/gov/en/start/documentation/media-releases.msg-id-31065.html