Alexander Georg Nicolas Schallenberg (German:[ˌalɛˈksandɐˈɡeːɔʁkˈnɪkolasˈʃaln̩bɛʁk]; born 20 June 1969) is an Austrian diplomat, jurist, and politician who served as theminister of foreign affairs from 2019 until 2025, briefly interrupted by a period from October until December 2021, when he served as 27thchancellor of Austria, a role he served in an acting capacity again from January to March 2025.
A member of theSchallenberg family and a graduate of theCollege of Europe,[1] Schallenberg was a career diplomat who became a mentor to Kurz when the latter became foreign minister. Kurz appointed him director of strategic foreign policy planning and head of the European department.[2] Schallenberg joined the cabinet as foreign minister in 2019. After Kurz announced his pending resignation on 9 October 2021, Schallenberg was proposed by the ÖVP to replace him as Chancellor of Austria.[3] He was sworn in on 11 October 2021.[4] Schallenberg announced his pending resignation on 2 December 2021, after less than two months in office. His resignation took effect on 6 December; he returned to the position of foreign minister.
A member of thecomital branch of the Austro-HungarianSchallenberg family,[5][1] Schallenberg was born in 1969 inBern,Switzerland, where his fatherWolfgang was Austrian ambassador toSwitzerland.[6] His mother is a native of Switzerland, and the daughter of Swiss banker and president ofUBSAlfred Schaefer.[1] Schallenberg was raised inIndia,Spain andFrance where his father served as ambassador; his father eventually became Secretary-General of the Foreign Ministry.[6] Schallenberg speaks German, French, English and Spanish fluently, and has basic knowledge of Russian.[7][8][9] TheGenealogisches Handbuch des Adels lists his given names as Alexander Georg Nicolas Christoph Wolfgang Tassilo,[10] though Schallenberg has disputed this and listed Alexander Georg Nicolas as his given names.[11]
In 1997, Schallenberg joined the Austrian diplomatic service.[22] From 2000 to 2005, he worked at the permanent representation of Austria to theEuropean Union inBrussels, where he headed the legal department. In 2006, he became a press spokesman to Foreign MinisterUrsula Plassnik, a fellow College of Europe graduate. WhenSebastian Kurz became foreign minister, Schallenberg was appointed as director of strategic foreign policy planning in 2013. Originally he was scheduled to become ambassador to India in 2014, but he chose to remain at the foreign ministry to work with the new foreign minister. Schallenberg was widely seen as a mentor to the inexperienced Kurz who knew little of foreign policy, who in turn promoted him to senior posts.[2] In 2016 Schallenberg became head of the European department of the foreign ministry.[23]
Schallenberg meeting with U.S. Secretary of StateAntony Blinken, 7 February 2023
On 3 June 2019, Schallenberg succeededKarin Kneissl as foreign minister ofAustria.[24] He maintained his position as part of thesecond Kurz cabinet, which was sworn in on 7 January 2020. He stepped down when he became chancellor, but returned to the position following his resignation.[25]
After Kurz announced his pending resignation on 9 October 2021 as a result of theKurz corruption probe, Schallenberg was proposed by the ÖVP to replace him aschancellor of Austria.[3]
Schallenberg was sworn in as chancellor on 11 October 2021 by PresidentAlexander Van der Bellen.[26] In his first official act, he nominated career diplomat and ambassador toFranceMichael Linhart to succeed him as foreign minister.[27]
In November 2021, Schallenberg announced thatCOVID-19 vaccines would be mandatory inAustria from February 2022. It became the first European country to mandate the vaccine.[28]
Schallenberg announced his resignation on 2 December 2021 following Kurz's announcement that he was leaving politics just a few hours prior. As his reason for stepping down, he cited his belief that the chancellor and party leader should be the same person.[29]
Schallenberg with Israeli Foreign MinisterIsrael Katz in Tel Aviv, Israel, 27 February 2024
On 9 October 2023, Schallenberg announced the suspension of the delivery of €19 million ($20 million) of aid to Palestinian areas in response toHamas's attack on Israel and said that it would review its existing projects inPalestine. He also said that he would summon the Iranian ambassador to addressIran's "abhorrent reactions" to the attack.[30]
In 2025, Schallenberg was appointed interim Chancellor for a second time by President Van der Bellen effective 10 January, following the resignation of Karl Nehammer.[31]
^The much smaller modernRepublic of Austria that only encompasses a part of theHereditary Lands does not recognise noble titles. In his country of birth, Switzerland, noble titles are often used socially, but have no special legal status. Hungary has no special regulation regarding noble titles; the same is true in the Czech Republic and several other modern successor countries of the Hereditary Lands.
^abcGenealogisches Handbuch der gräflichen Häuser [Genealogical Handbook of the Comital Houses].Genealogisches Handbuch des Adels. Vol. XVIII/139. Limburg an der Lahn: C. A. Starke Verlag. 2006. p. 375.ISBN3-798-00839-6.
^Jahrbuch der Vereinigung katholischer Edelleute in Österreich. Verlagsanstalt Tyrolia A.G., Innsbruck/Wien/München 1931.
^"Der neue Kanzler: Schallenberg denkt meist so wie Kurz".Der Standard (in German).Archived from the original on 9 October 2021. Retrieved11 October 2021.Alexander (Graf) Schallenberg ist der erste Kanzler aus einer ehemals adeligen Familie seit Kurt Schuschnigg
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