Franz Fischler

Franz Fischler was born on 23 September 1946 in Absam, Tyrol, Austria. After studying agriculture at the University of Natural Resources and Applied Life Sciences in Vienna, which he completed in 1973, he worked as a scientist until 1979. In 1979 Franz Fischler moved to the Tyrol Chamber of Agriculture. There he first looked after the areas of environmental protection, education, culture and landscape planning until he was appointed director in 1984. In 1989 Franz Fischler was appointed Austrian Federal Minister of Agriculture and Forestry. In this capacity he was instrumental in Austria's accession negotiations to the European Union. From 1995 to 1999 Franz Fischler was EU Commissioner for Agriculture and Rural Development. From September 1999 to 2004, he was also responsible for European fisheries policy. Since the end of 2004, Franz Fischler has mainly been engaged in advisory activities, lecturing and teaching. Most recently, he was President of the European Forum Alpbach for 10 years. He is currently a board member of the IHS (Institute for Advanced Studies) in Vienna and acts as an advisor in various bodies.