Gerard Batliner (9 December 1928 – 25 June 2008) was a lawyer and politician from

Liechtenstein Liechtenstein (, ; ; ), officially the Principality of Liechtenstein ( ), is a Landlocked country#Doubly landlocked, doubly landlocked Swiss Standard German, German-speaking microstate in the Central European Alps, between Austria in the east ...

who served as Prime Minister of Liechtenstein from 1962 to 1970. He later served in the Landtag of Liechtenstein from 1974 to 1982 and as the President of the Landtag of Liechtenstein from 1974 to 1977. Additionally, he held numerous positions within 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 ...

Early life and career

Batliner was born on 9 December 1928 in

Eschen Eschen (; High Alemannic: ''Escha'') is a municipality in the north of Liechtenstein. It covers an area of , and is one of the five communes in the Unterland electoral district. As of 2024, it has a population of 4,629 inhabitants. Etymolog ...

as the son of farmer Andreas Batliner and Karolina Schafhauser as one of six children. He studied law at the

University of Fribourg The University of Fribourg (; ) is a public university located in Fribourg, Switzerland. The roots of the university can be traced back to 1580, when the notable Jesuit Peter Canisius founded the Collège Saint-Michel in the City of Fribourg ...

and in

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

. From 1956 he worked as a lawyer in

Vaduz Vaduz (; or ; High Alemannic pronunciation: [])Hans Stricker, Toni Banzer, Herbert Hilbe: ''Liechtensteiner Namenbuch. Die Orts- und Flurnamen des Fürstentums Liechtenstein.'' Band 2: ''Die Namen der Gemeinden Triesenberg, Vaduz, Schaan.'' ...

. He was a member of the board of directors of the AHV/IV/FAK in Liechtenstein from 1959 to 1962, and was deputy mayor of Eschen from 1960 to 1962.

Prime Minister of Liechtenstein

Batliner was the fifth Prime Minister of Liechtenstein, from 16 July 1962 to 18 March 1970. He succeeded the role from Alexander Frick following his resignation in July 1962. During his time in office, Batliner worked in expanding Liechtenstein's foreign affairs, particularly working towards the country's accession into the

. Additionally, his term in office included the founding, among other things, the Liechtenstein music school in 1963, the Liechtenstein development service in 1965, and the Liechtenstein state art collection in 1969. He also expanded Liechtenstein's welfare, with the social welfare act of 1965 and the founding of the association for special education aid in 1967. The Patriotic Union won the 1970 Liechtenstein general election, making it the first time it held a majority since its founding in 1936. As a result, Batliner was succeeded by Alfred Hilbe.

Later life

In 1973 Batliner was involved in the founding of the Liechtenstein Society for Environmental Protection. He became involved in politics again when he was elected to the Landtag of Liechtenstein in 1974, where he served until 1982. He was President of the Landtag of Liechtenstein from January 1974 to December 1977. From 1978 to 1982 Batliner was the Liechtenstein parliamentary delegation to the Council of Europe, and was the vice president of the

Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) is the parliamentary arm of the Council of Europe, a 46-nation international organisation dedicated to upholding human rights, democracy and the rule of law. The Assembly is made up of ...

from 1981 to 1982. Additionally, he was a member of the

European Commission of Human Rights The European Commission of Human Rights was a special body of the Council of Europe. From 1954 to the 1998 entry into force of European Convention on Human Rights#Protocol 11, Protocol 11 to the European Convention on Human Rights, individuals d ...

from 1983 to 1990 and the

Venice Commission The Venice Commission, officially European Commission for Democracy through Law, is an advisory body of the Council of Europe, composed of independent experts in the field of constitutional law. It was created in 1990 after the fall of the Berlin ...

from 1991 to 2003. During the 1992 Liechtenstein constitutional crisis, Batliner, among other notable politicians, formed the ''Nonpartisan Committee for Monarchy and Democracy'' and called for a demonstration against Hans-Adam's threatened dissolution of the Landtag due to disagreements regarding the date of a referendum regarding to Liechtenstein's accession to the

European Economic Area The European Economic Area (EEA) was established via the ''Agreement on the European Economic Area'', an international agreement which enables the extension of the European Union's single market to member states of the European Free Trade Asso ...

. As a result, approximately 2,000 people demonstrated in front of the government house in

. In the run-up to the 2003 Liechtenstein constitutional referendum, Batliner was opposed to the proposed changes by the prince.

Personal life

He received honorary degrees from the

University of Basel The University of Basel (Latin: ''Universitas Basiliensis''; German: ''Universität Basel'') is a public research university in Basel, Switzerland. Founded on 4 April 1460, it is Switzerland's oldest university and among the world's oldest univ ...

and

Innsbruck Innsbruck (; ) is the capital of Tyrol (federal state), Tyrol and the List of cities and towns in Austria, fifth-largest city in Austria. On the Inn (river), River Inn, at its junction with the Wipptal, Wipp Valley, which provides access to the ...

. Batliner married Christina Negele (born 30 July 1946) on 17 July 1965 and they had two children together. He died in Eschen on 25 June 2008, aged 79 years old.

Honors and awards

* : Grand Decoration of Honour in Silver for Services to the Republic of Austria (1974) * : Grand Cross of the Order of Merit of the Principality of Liechtenstein (1967)

References

Bibliography

* *

External links

Batliner Wanger Batliner: Gerard Batliner
- attorney profile

Profil Detail DDr. h.c. Gerard Batliner
{{DEFAULTSORT:Batliner, Gerard 1928 births 2008 deaths University of Fribourg alumni Presidents of the Landtag of Liechtenstein Heads of government of Liechtenstein 20th-century heads of government of Liechtenstein Finance ministers of Liechtenstein 21st-century Liechtenstein people Liechtenstein lawyers Liechtenstein diplomats 20th-century lawyers Recipients of the Order of Merit of the Principality of Liechtenstein People from Eschen Members of the European Commission of Human Rights Members of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe Recipients of the Decoration of Honour for Services to the Republic of Austria Members of the Landtag of Liechtenstein (1974–1978) Members of the Landtag of Liechtenstein (1978–1982) Education ministers of Liechtenstein Culture ministers of Liechtenstein Progressive Citizens' Party members of the Landtag of Liechtenstein