Wolfgang Schuster
Wolfgang Schuster (born 5 September 1949 in
Career
Studies and early positions
Schuster studied law and political science in
From 1976 to 1977 Schuster studied at the Paris École nationale d'administration (ENA).
Political career
In 1975, he represented the
In elections for the post of Lord Mayor of Stuttgart, he won the office in the second ballot on 10 November 1996, defeating
On 24 October 2004, Schuster was re-elected to the post in the second ballot with 53.3% of votes. His opponents were
On 6 December 2010 Schuster was elected president of the Council of European Municipalities and Regions.
When completing his term as Lord Mayor on 6 January 2013, he was made "honoured citizen" (
Political priorities
Schuster's political agenda includes the furthering of economic development and construction, intercultural dialogue and the promotion of child-friendly policies, among others.
He promotes the interests of intercultural dialogue and the sharing of religious ideas and is the founder of the Stuttgart Religious Round Table. As a representative of the Deutsche Städtetag, a voluntary coalition of county boroughs and district-affiliated towns in Germany, Schuster is a member of the broadcasting council of SWR radio.
Schuster has a declared aim to turn Stuttgart into Germany's most child-friendly city.
Achievements in office
In 2004 Schuster's re-election to office was attributed to Stuttgart's favourable economic development during his first term.
The biggest and most high-profile project during his office has been Stuttgart 21 – a major rail project to build a new underground through station for Stuttgart, also encompassing connections to existing surface and underground lines. The project was officially approved on 19 July 2007.
Schuster is longlisted for the 2008 World Mayor award and was voted second most successful Mayor in Germany in a survey by Wirtschaftswoche magazine. In 2004, he was the only (active) local politician nominated for the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung "Reformer of the Year" award.
He was awarded a UNESCO Cities for Peace Prize for his work advancing integration of immigrant communities, and has established the EU Cities for Children network in cooperation with the
In October 2008, the German Chancellor Angela Merkel named Schuster the German member of a 12-strong reflection group called the "Council of Wise Men to Rethink Europe" which is headed by former Spanish Prime Minister Felipe Gonzalez.[1]
Criticism, controversy and setbacks
Shortly after funding was finalised for
In November 2007 a citizens' petition against the Stuttgart 21 project gained 67,000 signatures. After further legal wrangling appeals were submitted for a local referendum which experts subsequently deemed unlawful as contracts had already been signed and Stuttgart was not the main source (other backers include
Failed projects pointed to by opponents during the office of Schuster include Stuttgart's last place as German candidate for the 2012
Personal life
Schuster is married to a physician since 1979 and has three children and four grandchildren.
References
- ^ http://www.euractiv.com/en/future-eu/twelve-wise-men-rethink-europe/article-176335 Archived 20 October 2008 at the Wayback Machine EurActiv.com 14 October 2008
- ^ "Stuttgart 21 – Gegner erinnern an Wahlzusage" (in German). SWR Radio news. 21 July 2007. Archived from the original on 14 April 2020. Retrieved 21 July 2007.
- ^ "Stuttgart 21 – Juristischer Streit gewinnt an Schärfe" (in German). Stuttgarter Zeitung. 17 November 2007. Archived from the original on 11 December 2019. Retrieved 19 November 2007.