| Laureates Mansholt Prize Winner 2004: Franz Fischler Amsterdam, Nov. 12 - Franz Fischler, the outgoing European Commissioner for Agriculture, Rural Development and Fisheries, was awarded the 2004 Sicco Mansholt Prize for his 'strong personal commitment and exceptionally clear ideas' on transforming the EU's surplus-driven agriculture into a sustainable, environment-friendly system favoring the development of rural areas. The 25,000 euro prize, which is awarded bi-annually, is named after Sicco Mansholt (1908-1995), one of modern Europe's founding fathers and its foremost agricultural leader. The prize seeks to stimulate inspiring, integrating and innovative ideas in the field of sustainable agriculture and rural development. The 2004 Sicco Mansholt Prize will be presented on Dec. 2 in The Hague by Cees Veerman, the Netherlands' Minister of Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality. Two years ago, the first Sicco Mansholt Prize went to the international Slow Food Movement. With his reform drive, Fischler has shown 'great political courage', according to the Mansholt Prize Jury. It noted that he 'resisted enormous pressures within Europe and from other parts of the world to submit agriculture to the destructive forces of free trade.' The Jury said Fischler understood that agriculture must be reformed into a system that promotes rural development and 'rewards farmers for their contribution to a sustainable world in the broadest sense.' Fischler, 58, served as the EU's Commissioner for Agriculture and Rural Development from 1995-2004. In 1999, he was also made repsonsible for the Union's fisheries policies. Born in Absam, Tyrol - still his home town - Fischler graduated from Vienna's University of Agricultural Sciences in 1973. In the late 1980s, he played an important role in Austria's accession negotiations with the EU as his country's Minister of Agriculture and Forestry. 'Fischler played a key role in shifting the perspective on agriculture from a surplus-driven sector to a sustainable system, reflecting the ideas Sicco Mansholt developed later in life,' said Arie van den Brand, chairman of the Mansholt Prize Jury. 'He found a new way to legitimize the spending of taxpayers' money on farming: instead of subsidizing agricultural production itself, large chunks of money are now invested in 'green values' such as the landscape, food quality and sustainabilty.' And Van den Brand praised Fischler for his attempts to 'democratize' the agricultural paradigm shift in Europe by involving stakeholders other than member state officials - farmers, consumers, the retail sector and environmental organizations. Runners-up for the 2004 Sicco Mansholt Prize included Professor Tim Lang of London's City University, author of the book Food Wars, and the Avalon Foundation, a Netherlands-based organization supporting sustainable agriculture initiatives in Eastern Europe. They were judged by an international jury of experts consisting of Arie van den Brand (Chairman, the Netherlands), David Baldock (United Kingdom), Wouter van Dieren (the Netherlands), Henri Nallet (France), Hiltrud Nieberg (Germany), Jules Pretty (United Kingdom) and Heinrich Wohlmeyer (Austria). Jury Report for the 2004 Sicco Mansholt Prize, awarding the prize to Dr Franz Fischler. Introduction The criteria for the Sicco Mansholt Prize for sustainable agriculture and rural development originate from the principles that inspired Sicco Mansholt’s work: social democracy, social justice, solidarity with the poor, and a commitment to preserve our environment for the benefit of future generations. Mansholt developed his ideas at the time of the EU’s predecessor, the six-member EEC, but in today’s enlarged European Union, these principles are perhaps even more important. Mansholt had a keen eye for the interests of farmers. But he was equally committed to issues concerning consumers, the environment and the poor in the developing world. Initially, he advocated a large-scale, rationalised form of rural development, aimed at providing a secure income for farmers in post-war Europe. Recognizing that resources available to mankind are limited, he favoured the development of a sustainable, economically viable agriculture, firmly embedded in a global society. Within the current European Union, there are major differences in agricultural development. The system of price- and market intervention will be gradually replaced by direct payments to farmers. Sustainable development and food quality will be more prominent. Internally, this poses major challenges to the political decision-making process within the EU. In a global context, the enlarged EU represents an increasingly important economic power, with a tendency for protectionism. In this context, there is an urgent need for inspiring, integrating and innovative ideas in the field of sustainable agriculture and a fair distribution of the world’s resources. The Mansholt Prize seeks to stimulate such thinking. Laudatio On the basis of these criteria, the Jury for the 2004 Sicco Mansholt Prize has unanimously decided to award the Prize to Dr Franz Fischler. This award is in recognition of his dedicated efforts for a structural reform of the European agricultural system in his function as Commissioner for Agriculture, Rural Development and Fisheries of the European Union over the past 10 years. - The Jury believes that Dr Fischler’s proposals for reform in the 2002 Midterm Review of the Common Agriculture Policy represent a moment of fundamental change in the basic principles underlying the European agriculture and the agriculture subsidies. - In the process of transition of European agriculture, Dr Fischler consistently made the right choices. He recognized that the agricultural subsidy system cannot be abandoned altogether, but needs to be reformed into a system rewarding farmers for their contribution to rural development and a sustainable world in the broadest sense. - In this way, he played a key role in mobilizing programs for rural development and sustainable agriculture, preparing a future-oriented framework for sustainable agriculture in the enlarged European Union, even before the Union’s actual enlargement took place. - The Jury lauds Dr Fischler’s efforts to democratize the agricultural policy-making process, by broadening the participation in the decision-making. He created a new political legitimation for spending taxpayer´s money on the European agricultural budget, by advocating a system that supports green values, landscape, quality of food, and sustainability, instead of merely financing agricultural production. - Last but not least, the Jury recognizes that Dr Fischler coupled his exceptionally clear ideas on agriculture with a strong personal commitment to defending those ideas in a complicated political context. He showed great political courage in resisting strong pressures, from within Europe and from other parts of the world, to submit agriculture to the forces of free trade. - Therefore, the Jury considers Dr Fischler to be a worthy inheritor of the ideas and ideals of Sicco Mansholt. - During its deliberations, the Jury also expressed strong appreciation for the work of Tim Lang, Professor of Food Policy at the City University in London. The Jury cited his many initiatives to introduce new ways of thinking in the food sector and his creative and integrated approach to reforming agriculture in a sustainable way. - Professor Lang’s latest book ‘Food Wars’ is only one example of his tireless efforts to advocate his ideas with the public at large and of his prominent role as a political debater. His commitment to the cause of sustainable agriculture and food production is also expressed by his chairmanship of Sustain, the British-based alliance for better food and farming. - The third candidate that was mentioned by the Jury is the non-profit foundation Avalon, which supports sustainable rural development based on organic agriculture in Central and Eastern Europe. - The Jury especially appreciates Avalon’s efforts to ensure that new European Union member states can shift directly to a system of sustainable agriculture, without having to go through the same process that Western European countries and farmers are currently struggling with. - This concludes the Jury Report for the 2004 Sicco Mansholt Prize. |