Bildt, Carl

Bildt, Carl bēlt [key], 1949–, Swedish political leader. Born into a prominent family, he was elected to parliament in 1979 as a member of the conservative Moderate party, serving there until 2001. Party leader from 1986 to 1999, he became prime minister in 1991, at the head of a center-right coalition government. His tenure (1991–94) was marked by pro-free-market policies and other reforms aimed at improving Sweden's competitiveness and liberalizing its economy and by the modernization of Sweden's welfare system. Bildt was a key figure in the negotiations that led to Sweden's joining (1995) the European Union (EU). He also served as co-chair of the Dayton peace talks in the mid-1990s, as the EU's High Representative for Bosnia and Herzegovina (1995–97), and as the UN secretary-general's special envoy to the Balkans (1999–2001). He returned to Sweden's government as Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt's foreign minister (2006–14). He has written several books, among them Peace Journey: The Struggle for Peace in Bosnia (1999).

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