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Interview with Otmar Issing

December 24, 2013

Otmar Issing

President
Center for Financial Studies, Goethe University, Frankfurt
Former Chief Economist and Member of the Board of the European Central Bank
 

Biography

Otmar Issing has been President of the Center for Financial Studies since 2006. From June 1998 to May 2006, he was a member of the Executive Board of the European Central Bank, responsible for the Directorates General Economics and Research. Until May 1998 he was a Member of the Board of the Deutsche Bundesbank with a seat in the Central Bank Council. Prior to that he held Chairs of Economics at the Universities of Würzburg and Erlangen-Nürnberg. From 1988 to 1990, he was a member of the German Council of Economic Experts. Issing is an active member of the Akademie der Wissen­schaften und der Literatur (Academy of Sciences and Literature), Mainz, and of the Academia Scientiarum et Artium Europaea (European Academy of Sciences and Arts).

Prof. Issing has received numerous awards and prizes: In 2006 he was awarded the Große Verdienstkreuz des Verdienstordens der Bundesrepublik Deutsch­land. In the same year he was appointed Grand Officier de l`Ordre de Mérite du Grand-Duché de Luxembourg. In 2007 he received the Silver Insignia of the City of Würzburg. In 2010 he was awarded the Laurea Honoris Causa in International Economic Integration from the University of Pavia. In 2011 he received the Gustav Stolper Award of the Verein für Socialpolitik. In 2004 he received the International Price of the Friedrich-August-von-Hayek-Stiftung, in 2004 the Bernhard-Harms-Medal of the Institute for World Economics, Kiel, 2005 the Hans-Möller-Medal of the University of Munich and 2006 the Ludwig-Erhard-Preis für Wirtschaftspublizistik. Issing received honorary Professorships from Goethe University Frankfurt (2007) and the University of Würzburg (1991) and honorary doctorates from the Universities of Bayreuth, Frankfurt and Konstanz.

Issing headed the Advisory Council on a New Financial Order appointed by the German Chancellor Angela Merkel (2008-2012). He also was a member of the High Level Group of the European Commission chaired by J. De Larosière.

In addition to publishing numerous articles in scientific journals and periodicals, Issing is author of inter alia, two textbooks, namely "Einführung in die Geldtheorie" (Introduction to Monetary Theory), fifteenth edition 2011, and "Einführung in die Geldpolitik" (Introduction to Monetary Policy), sixth edition, 1996. His book "Der Euro - Geburt, Erfolg, Zukunft" (English: "The Birth of the Euro") was published in 2008 (Chinese edition 2011).

Current positions: President of CFS, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Gesellschaft für Kapitalmarktforschung (2006); Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the House of Finance, Goethe University Frankfurt (2007); Member of the Hochschul­rat of the University of Würzburg (2004); International Advisor to Goldman Sachs (2006).

Memberships: Aufsichtsrat Nürnberger Lebensversicherung A.G. and Fürst Fugger Privatbank; Advisory Board of Globalisation and Monetary Policy Institute at Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas; Führungskreis Institute for European Affairs (INEA); Euro50 Group; International Advisory Council Bocconi University, Milan; Council for the Future of Europe (Nicolas Berggruen Institute).