Nils Daniel Tarschys (born 21 July 1943) is a Swedish academic and politician who is currently professor of political science at

Stockholm University Stockholm University (SU) () is a public university, public research university in Stockholm, Sweden, founded as a college in 1878, with university status since 1960. With over 33,000 students at four different faculties: law, humanities, social ...

. He previously served as

Secretary General of the Council of Europe The Secretary General of the Council of Europe () is elected by the Parliamentary Assembly from a shortlist proposed by the Committee of Ministers for a term of five years. The secretary general is entrusted with the responsibility of meetin ...

from 1994 to 1999. Tarschys was born into an academic family. Both his parents taught at Swedish universities. He is married and has two daughters. He was

from 20 June 1994 to 1 September 1999, when he was succeeded by

Walter Schwimmer Walter Schwimmer (16 June 1942 – 12 March 2025) was an Austrian politician and diplomat. He was the Secretary General of the Council of Europe from 1 September 1999 to 31 August 2004. Life and career After being a member of the Austrian Parlia ...

. His tenure was remarkable for the accession of a number of countries, notably Russia, to the

Council of Europe The Council of Europe (CoE; , CdE) is an international organisation with the goal of upholding human rights, democracy and the Law in Europe, rule of law in Europe. Founded in 1949, it is Europe's oldest intergovernmental organisation, represe ...

. He is credited with the motto "Better include than exclude". He repeatedly defended the accession of Russia against criticism that it was premature and that Russia was not yet ready to embrace the standards of the Council of Europe. In 1972 he completed his PhD thesis on "Beyond the State: The Future Polity in Classical and Soviet Marxism". He was appointed professor of Eastern European research at

Uppsala University Uppsala University (UU) () is a public university, public research university in Uppsala, Sweden. Founded in 1477, it is the List of universities in Sweden, oldest university in Sweden and the Nordic countries still in operation. Initially fou ...

in 1983 and professor of political science at Stockholm University in 1985. He was a member of the

Riksdag The Riksdag ( , ; also or , ) is the parliament and the parliamentary sovereignty, supreme decision-making body of the Kingdom of Sweden. Since 1971, the Riksdag has been a unicameral parliament with 349 members (), elected proportional rep ...

for the Liberal People's Party in 1976 to 1982 and from 1985 to 1994, representing Stockholm County. He chaired the Social Committee from 1985 to 1991 and the Foreign Affairs Committee from 1991 to 1994. He was also a member of the Swedish delegation to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe. He served as State Secretary from 1978 to 1979 in the cabinet of Prime Minister Ola Ullsten. He has published numerous papers and reports. In 2008 he was elected to the

Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences () is one of the Swedish Royal Academies, royal academies of Sweden. Founded on 2 June 1739, it is an independent, non-governmental scientific organization that takes special responsibility for promoting nat ...

External links

File on Council of Europe website

Bibliography

The Soviet political agenda : problems and priorities, 1950–1970, Macmillan, 1979

Promoting Cohesion: The Role of the European Union, Arena Conference, 2002

Maximising what? On the multiple objectives of EU cohesion policy, Maribor, 2008

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Tarschys, Daniel 1943 births Living people Members of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences Swedish political scientists Council of Europe Secretaries-General Grand Crosses with Star and Sash of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany