Franz Fischler

Franz Fischler (born 23 September 1946) is an Austrian politician from the Austrian People's Party (ÖVP). He was the European Union's Commissioner for Agriculture, Rural Development and Fisheries (1995–2004).

Franz Fischler is married with Adelheid (Heidi) Hausmann in 1973. They have two sons, Klaus and Georg and two daughters, Bernadette and Ursula.

Education and early career Born in Absam, Tyrol Fischler studied agriculture at the University of Natural Resources and Applied Life Sciences Vienna, and finished as Dr rer.nat.oec. in 1978. In 1995 he became European Commissioner in Brussels, responsible for agriculture and rural development.

At the 1999 Berlin summit, Fischler had significant influence on the Agenda 2000.

In 2011 Austria has decided to nominate Fischler as a candidate for the position of director general of FAO; the position went to José Graziano da Silva instead.

Other activities Trilateral Commission, Member of the European Group. Institute for Advanced Studies (IHS), Chair of the Board of Trustees