Born: 1933
Nationality: Swiss
Education and professional activities:
Professor Dr. Arnold Koller studied law at the University of St. Gallen from where he obtained his degree in 1957. He subsequently pursued doctoral studies at the University of Fribourg and received his Doctorate in 1966. He completed his habilitation in 1977 on the subject of model corporate law and engaged in post-graduate studies at the University of California, Berkely (USA).
Since 1972, Professor Koller was an associate professor and, since 1980, a full professor of European and international economic and social law at the University of St. Gallen. From 1971 until 1986, he was a member of the parliament of the Swiss Canton of Appenzell Inner Rhodes for the CVP party. While in the parliament, Professor Koller was responsible for the optional referenda concerning international treaties, the economic cycle, worker participation, consumer protection, cartel and stock companies law as well as agricultural policies.
From 1973 until 1986, Professor Koller was the president of the cantonal court of Inner Rhodes. From 1987 until 1999, he was a member of the Swiss Federal Council. Initially, he was in charge of the Federal Department of Defence and, since 1989, for the Federal Department of Justice and Police.
In the years 1990 and 1997, he also held office as the Federal President. In this function, he was responsible for, among other things, the new security policy of Switzerland, the purchasing of a new army rifle and the fighter jet F/A-18, the asylum policy as well as the complete revision of the constitution.
Since 2005, Professor Koller has been the president of the “Forum of Federations,” which has its seat Ottawa, Canada.
List of publications:
Grundfragen einer Typuslehre im Gesellschaftsrecht, Freiburg 1967.
Die unmittelbare Anwendbarkeit völkerrechtlicher Verträge und des EWG-Vertrages im innerstaatlichen Bereich, Bern 1971.
Von der friedenssichernden Funktion des Rechts: Rede anlässlich der Feier zu Ehren des neugewählten Bundesgerichtspräsidenten, Professor Dr. Otto K. Kaufmann, vom 18. Januar 1983, St. Gallen 1984.
Wissenschaft und Politik: Fachreferat am Hochschultag 1987, St. Gallen 1987.
Principles of federalism: guidelines for good federal practices; a Swiss contribution (co-autor by Thürer Daniel, Dafflon Bernard, Ehrenzeller Bernhard, Pfisterer Thomas, Waldmann Bernhard), Zürich/St. Gallen 2012.
Die Schweiz und die jüngere Zeitgeschichte: Erklärung von Bundespräsident Arnold Koller vor der Vereinigten Bundesversammlung am 5. März 1997, Zürich 1997.
Gentechnologie und Gesetzgebung 1997, Referate der Generalversammlung 1995, Basler Handelskammer, Basel 1995.
Die Universität im Kräftefeld von Politik und Wirtschaft (ed.: Universität St. Gallen – Hochschule St. Gallen für Wirtschafts-, Rechts- und Sozialwissenschaften (HSG)), St. Gallen 1998.
Verfassungsfragen im Falle eines EU-Beitritts / Arnold Koller (ed.: Universität St. Gallen – Hochschule St. Gallen für Wirtschafts-, Rechts- und Sozialwissenschaften (HSG)), St. Gallen 1999.
Principles of Federalism, Guidelines for Good Federal Practices – a Swiss contribution, (co-authored by D. Thürer, B. Dafflon), 2012.
Aus der Werkstatt eines Bundesrates, Bern 2014.