Jan Bergqvist, Chairman of the General Council, has passed away

Date 04/09/2006

Jan Bergqvist, Chairman of the General Council of the Riksbank, has suddenly passed away at the age of 66, following a period of illness. Mr Bergqvist had been Chairman of the General Council since 2002.

”Jan made an important contribution to the General Council’s work during these years. I found him a person of great enthusiasm, warmth and integrity. The work on the General Council during Jan’s leadership has been marked by a spirit of cooperation and a hands-on approach. His death is a great loss to the work of the General Council. My greatest sympathy goes to his family,” says Johan Gernandt, Vice Chairman of the General Council.

”Jan had such long experience and a talent for creating good relations that proved useful to me personally and to the Riksbank in its contacts with the Riksdag (the Swedish parliament). I was very sorry to hear of Jan’s sudden and unexpected death," says Stefan Ingves, Governor of the Riksbank.

Jan Bergqvist was first elected to the Riksdag following the election in 1968. His many posts have included group leader of the Social Democrats group in the Riksdag and Chairman of the Riksdag Committee on Finance between 1998 and 2002. He was Vice Chairman of the General Council of the Riksbank during the period 1990-1991 and an ordinary member during the years 1985-1990 and 1991-1994.  Mr Bergqvist left the Riksdag in 2002 and was then appointed Chairman of the General Council of the Riksbank.