Carl Bildt has, since May 1999, been the UN Secretary General's Special Envoy for the Balkans.

His involvement with Balkan affairs stretches back to the spring of 1995 when he succeeded Lord Owen as the EU Special Representative to the Former Yugoslavia and Co-Chairman of the International Conference on the Former Yugoslavia. Following his Co-Chairmanship of the Dayton peace talks, he served until the summer of 1997 as the international community's High Representative in Bosnia and Herzegovina, monitoring from Sarajevo the implementation of the peace agreement and coordinating its civilian aspects.

A Member of Parliament in Sweden since 1979, Carl Bildt served as the country's Prime Minister, leading a four-party coalition, from 1991 to 1994. During this period he negotiated Sweden's accession to the European Union, signing the agreement in June 1994. Also on his government's programme were far-reaching liberalization and structural reforms to improve the competitiveness of Sweden and modernize its old-style welfare system.

His career in politics has ranged from the Chairmanship of the Moderate Student Association and then the European Democratic Students in the early 1970s, to the leadership of the Moderate Party of Sweden from 1986 to 1999. His first appointment in government dates from 1976. During his leadership, the Moderate Party during the 1990s improved its position in all three parliamentary elections.

Carl Bildt has had wide experience in foreign and security affairs: in Sweden he was a member of the Royal Advisory Council on Foreign Affairs (1984-1999) and various Defence Review commissions, including the Submarine Defence Commission of 1982. Internationally, he has been active in European and Nordic cooperation. From 1992 to 1999, he was the Chairman of the International Democratic Union. He is associated with numerous international organizations, including membership of the advisory boards of the Centre for European Reform (London) and the Aspen Institute Italia (Rome).

During his tenure as Prime Minister, he launched Sweden as a country of the IT revolution: he launched and chaired the IT Commission, which ever since has been instrumental in promoting policies geared to the use of these new technologies.

He has since actively maintained this interest, today serving as Senior Advisor to the VC firm IT-Provider (itprovider.com) and sitting on the boards of a number of IT companies (hiq.se, teleopti.se, humany.com). He is a regular columnist in the Swedish broadsheet Svenska Dagbladet (svd.se) and issues his own weekly newsletter in Swedish on international affairs (bildt.net).

His published works include: The Country that Stepped out into the Cold (1972), A Future in Freedom (1976), A Citizen of Halland, Sweden and Europe (1991), Peace Journey (1997).

Carl Bildt is the holder of various senior honours and decorations from France, Germany, the United Kingdom, Estonia and Latvia.

Born on 15 July 1949 in Halmstad, Sweden, Carl Bildt has two children, Gunnel (10) and Nils (8). He is married to Italian national Anna Maria Corazza.