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- Former federal councilor Flavio Cotti passed away Wednesday afternoon at the age of 81.
- This stems from tweets from Foreign Minister Ignazio Cassis and CVP party chairman Gerhard Pfister.
- Cotti, a member of CVP, was a member of the Federal Council from 1987 to 1999.
“It is with great sadness” that he takes note of the death of Flavio Cotti, current Chancellor Cassis said on Twitter. The deceased was a great personality and a great statesman to whom Switzerland owes much, Pfister tweeted.
According to various Ticino media, the former magistrate died in a Locarno clinic as a result of a Covid 19 disease. The Ticino clinic did not want to confirm or deny this on request.
Safe european
Cotti was elected to the Federal Council in 1986 to succeed Alphons Egli. From 1987 to 1993 he headed the Federal Department of Home Affairs (FDHA) and from 1993 to 1999 the Federal Department of Foreign Relations (FDFA). In 1991 and 1998 he was federal president. From 1984 to 1986 he was president of CVP Switzerland.
Cotti had a doctorate in law, but from the beginning he was above all a passionate politician. As Minister of Foreign Affairs, he strengthened Switzerland’s international position and pursued a policy of openness. In this sense, the highlight of his career as Federal Councilor was 1996, when he presided over the Organization for Security and Cooperation (OSCE).
With the conclusion of the bilateral agreements with the EU, Flavio Cotti had achieved his most important success as Federal Councilor. Cotti was convinced of the strategic objective of joining the EU. He repeated over and over again that true political self-determination can only be achieved through equal participation and codecision in international bodies.
EDA was the chosen department
As Minister of Social Affairs, Cotti suffered a setback as Minister of the Interior right at the beginning of his term, when people with the right to vote rejected the Health and Maternity Insurance Act in 1987. Maternity insurance was only pulled out of the drawer by Ruth Dreifuss and brought it to fruition in parliament.
Cotti was minister of the interior at a time when the population was very sensitive to the protection of the environment due to the dying forests. The Ticino magistrate created the Federal Office for the Environment, Forests and Landscape (Buwal) in 1988. In 1994, Cotti moved to his preferred department, the EDA.
In addition to the bilateral negotiations with the EU, as chancellor he was kept in suspense by the limitation of damages to inactive assets and the role of Switzerland in World War II. Cotti also completely restructured the FDFA and challenged traditional diplomacy with the appointment of lateral participants.
Classic political career
Before his election to the state government, Cotti had already been politically active at all levels. First in the Locarno legislature, then in the Ticino cantonal parliament. In 1975 he was elected to the cantonal government of Ticino. In 1983 he became a national councilor.
After his resignation from the state government, Cotti assumed several prestigious terms. He was a member of the board of directors of the industrial group Georg Fischer AG.
Flavio Cotti was born in Muralto on October 18, 1939 as a citizen of Prato Sornico. After attending Catholic schools in Ascona and Sarnen, he studied law at the University of Freiburg.
