Doris Leuthard

As Head of the Federal Department of Economic Affairs (FDEA), Federal Councillor Doris Leuthard is one of the seven members of the Federal Council, the executive authority of the Swiss Government. The FDEA is the competence centre of the Swiss Government for all core issues related to economic affairs and trade policies. In that capacity, Doris Leuthard is responsible for the Doha Round negotiations of the World Trade Organization. While Switzerland places a priority on multilateralism in its foreign economic policy, it defends its special interests through bilateral free trade agreements. At the domestic level, the FDEA's goal is to create the regulatory framework and economic policy conditions enabling Swiss and foreign companies located in Switzerland to prosper.

Doris Leuthard is also responsible for labour, professional education, technology and innovation. A main objective is to establish a favourable environment for creating jobs by flexible labour market conditions. Another policy priority is to ease access to the labour market for young people, women and older workers.

The Federal Office for Agriculture and the Federal Veterinary Office are also part of the FDEA. Through "Agricultural Policy 2011", Doris Leuthard seeks to make Swiss agriculture more competitive by increasingly opening it to free market requirements while respecting sustainable development.

Prior to assuming her current position in August 2006, Doris Leuthard had been a member of the National Council for seven years and president of the Christian Democratic People's Party since 2004. During her time in the National Council, she was a member of the following committees: legal affairs, political institutions, judicial affairs and economic affairs and taxation.

Doris Leuthard was born in 1963 and is an attorney-at-law by training. She is married to Roland Hausin.