MCI Honorary Professorship for Franz Fischler

The MCI hosted a very special ceremony on 4 June 2018. By unanimous decision of the MCI Honours Committee, the MCI Honorary Professorship was awarded to President DI Dr. Franz Fischler in the presence of his wife Heidi Fischer and relatives as well as professors, students and guests. The award certificate was presented by MCI Rector Andreas Altmann after the Chairman of the MCI Board of Governors, Dr Franz Pegger, celebrated the achievements of the recipient in a very moving and at the same time extremely humorous speech.

The Tyrolean Prof. h.c. Franz Fischler completed his doctorate at the University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences in Vienna. His career is characterised by outstanding professional milestones. For example, he was Director of the Tyrolean Chamber of Agriculture, Federal Minister for Agriculture and Forestry of the Republic of Austria, Member of the European Commission, initially with responsibility for agriculture and rural development, and in a second term of office also for fisheries. He is currently President of the European Forum Alpbach, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the IHS (Institute for Advanced Studies) and Chairman of the study funding organisation Pro Scientia. In addition to his extensive lecturing activities at home and abroad, he has been patron of the MCI Advisory Board since 1997. Regular lecturing, moderating and expert activities as part of the internationally acclaimed "Distinguished Guest Lecturers Series", best practice teaching events and quality assurance procedures at the MCI, his strong commitment to greater cooperation between the universities in the EUREGIO Tyrol-South Tyrol-Trentino and the involvement of these universities in the European Forum Alpbach as well as numerous other activities document the extraordinary commitment of Prof. h.c. DI Dr Franz Fischler for the Entrepreneurial School®.

In his subsequent speech, Franz Fischler pointed out that although the major European crisis of 2008 had basically been overcome, numerous challenges and structural problems remained unresolved. What these challenges have in common is their complexity, that they do not fit into traditional political planning schemes and a short-term focus on legislative periods, that their solution requires time, courage and creative power and is generally not possible at national level or through national strategies.

Several scenarios are available for the future, ranging from targeted populist disintegration to the frequently observed "muddling through" to a new treaty for Europe. If the future of young people and a prosperous location are important to you, you need a committed paradigm shift and the definition of priority EU objectives and projects that can be realised without substantial treaty changes. The current treaties leave a lot of room for manoeuvre, he said, but there is a lack of bold strategic concepts and a passionate creative force freed from cheap particularisms, as embodied by Jean Monnet, Robert Schumann and Alcide de Gasperi.

Franz Fischler referred to joint work with young Europeans who are prepared to commit themselves to Europe, take its future into their own hands and write history. The new history of Europe must tread intelligent paths between diversity and homogeneity, between regulation and deregulation and other social tensions.

In his laudatory speech, MCI Board Chairman Franz Pegger honoured Prof. h.c. Franz Fischler as an exceptional personality with foresight, openness, entrepreneurial spirit and negotiating skills: "Franz Fischler has an outstanding ability to lead people. He leads the way and combines freedom and responsibility in the best sense of the word."

MCI Rector Andreas Altmann expressed his delight at the honour bestowed on Prof. h.c. Franz Fischler: "Today we are honouring the great Franz Fischler, who has accompanied, promoted and supported the MCI in a spirit of friendship for more than 20 years. It is a special honour and a beneficial quality for the MCI to be able to count on the consistently critical and constructive friendship of such an outstanding personality."