Vice President Hans-Rudolf Merz of Switzerland

Swiss Finance Minister Hans-Rudolf Merz has suffered a major heart attack and had to be hospitalised.

Later on Sunday he was flown by helicopter to Bern University Hospital where he was placed into an artificial coma.

Merz was a Boy Scout, and visited the National Jamboree of Switzerland in July 2008.

Merz was elected to the Swiss Federal Council on 10 December 2003.

On 20 September 2008, whilst in Eastern Switzerland, Merz was rushed to hospital, having suffered from a heart attack.

On 10 December 2008, as the member of the Federal Council that hasn't been its president for the longest time, Merz was elected President of the Confederation for 2009.

Hans-Rudolf Merz is part of the Scouting WikiProject, an effort to build a comprehensive and detailed guide to Scouting and Guiding on the Wikipedia.

The government said Merz was in a critical but stable state and his doctors had decided to keep him in an artificial coma for the time being after he had a heart attack on Saturday.

Hans-Rudolf Merz was born in Herisau on 10 November 1942 (and is a citizen of Beinwil am See.

Before being elected to the Federal Council, Hans-Rudolf Merz was Chairman of the Board of Directors for Helvetia Patria Insurance AG, St.

In 1997 Hans-Rudolf Merz was elected to the Council of States as a representative of Appenzell Ausserrhoden where, as a member of the Radical Free Democratic Party (FDP), he chaired the Finance Committee and was a member of the Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Committees.

Merz has been head of the Federal Department of Finance (FDF) and is currently the Vice-President of the Federal Council.

Hans-Rudolf Merz is married and the father of three grown-up sons.

Merz said he was expecting the EU to make some proposals soon.

Hans-Rudolf MerzSwitzerlandIs dit niet de Hans-Rudolf Merz die je zoekt? Verder zoeken »Toevoegen als vriend|Stuur een berichtHans-Rudolf Merz is on Facebook.

Merz said after a cabinet meeting Friday that Swisscom had given an assurance that it would not take a stake in Ireland's Eircom until the review is completed.

Merz has explained that the state, as main shareholder, could not take risks with one of its biggest assets.

Meanwhile, Merz said that outgoing UBS chairman Marcel Ospel had called him Monday evening and informed the minister about his decision to leave the bank.

comZURICH (MarketWatch) -- Switzerland's banking secrecy laws aren't up for debate, Swiss Finance Minister Hans-Rudolf Merz said Wednesday.

Switzerland isn't a tax haven," Merz said in a debate in Swiss parliament, noting that the country is cooperating with other tax authorities and has done a lot to prevent criminal acts in banking.

comZURICH (MarketWatch) -- The Swiss government is ruling out state aid or a guarantee for Swiss banking giant UBS AG (UBS), which is mired in losses stemming from the subprime crisis, Finance Minister Hans-Rudolf Merz said in an interview published in Thursday's daily Tages-Anzeiger.

Merz met with Microsoft chairman, Bill Gates.

The 66-year old Merz was elected president and head of Switzerland's seven-member cabinet with 185 votes in his favor out of the 209 valid votes.

var RTR_ArticleBlurb = " ZURICH, Nov 8 (Reuters) - Big Swiss banks must introduce a new salary system as the basic idea of paying bonuses became ''partially perverted'', Finance Minister Hans-Rudolf Merz said in an interview published on Saturday.

an interview published on Saturday.

Swiss Finance Minister Hans-Rudolf Merz has been elected as the countrys president for 2009, Press TV reported Dec 10.

Merz said he would meet his German counterpart for a "friendly talk" to remind him of German fiscal policies that allowed tax payers to withhold money at the expense of the state.

Merz said it was important to provide funds for those who lost out in the crisis and for those who will be less well off in the future.

As for his personal situation, Merz said the heart attack had shown him how quickly death can come into a healthy man's life.

Merz said he felt fit enough to resume his post in the cabinet and to assume the Swiss presidency next year as planned.

Given that Merz was still being treated on October 23, he might have missed the news: self regulation of the markets does not work.

Finance Minister Hans-Rudolf Merz says he will talk in the next few weeks with his German counterpart who called for Switzerland to be put on a tax-haven blacklist.

Finance Minister Hans-Rudolf Merz has been brought out of his induced coma, and his condition is very satisfactory, doctors said on Wednesday.

Merz suffered the attack on Saturday evening Swiss Finance Minister Hans-Rudolf Merz has suffered a heart attack and has been placed in an artificial coma.

4 billion dollars, have made UBS the biggest case in the world of collateral damage from the US home-loan crisis, but Merz said he did not think a takeover was likely.

I would therefore rule out an acquisition," Hans-Rudolf Merz said in an interview with Swiss newspaper Tages Anzeiger.

The two big banks have a solid capital base by international comparison," Merz said in a speech to Swiss parliament.