As German Finance minister from 1989-1998, Dr Theo Waigel, played a key role in European monetary union and in the formation of the Euro. Having studied law and political science at the Universities of Munich and Wurzburg, Theo Waigel began his career as a lawyer. He then moved to the economics ministry at the Bavarian State Government. He took his seat as a member of the German parliament in 1972, which he held until 2002. He held a number of key positions, including spokesman for the CSU, the Bavarian conservative party, on economic affairs and was a member of the Foreign Affairs committee. After the death of Franz-Josef Strauss, he was elected with a large majority as Chairman of the CSU. Theo Waigel has been a Board member of a number of influential international organisations, including the European Investment Bank, and the International Monetary Fund. He served on the German board of the Helsinki Human Rights Committee and in the German Association for Foreign Policy.