International Green Week 2009

Date:

15.01.09 06:00 PM

Location:

Berlin

Speaker:

Federal Minister Ilse Aigner

Check against delivery!

Ladies and Gentlemen,

The International Green Week is a unique international exhibition of discovery, experiences – and the showcasing of success! Here, in the middle of Berlin, you can embark on a culinary trip around the world. I am particularly pleased that Messe Berlin will be transformed into a huge classroom over the next few days. Children from towns and cities in particular have scarcely any contact with agriculture. How can they then learn to value food? How can they gain an understanding of the contribution of the agricultural sector?

At this exhibition many pupils experience first hand what modern agriculture consists of. They see the work involved. At the International Green Week visitors have an opportunity to experience what is involved from the farm gate to the dinner plate. That is particularly important for me.

Our partner country this year is one of the largest agricultural nations in the world and, at the same time, a regular guest: the Kingdom of the Netherlands. Federal Chancellor Konrad Adenauer was already fascinated by the "quality from next door" displayed by the first foreign exhibitor – a Dutchman. This is when the word "International" was tagged on to "Green Week". Today it is a resounding success!

Dear Minister Verburg, Dear Gerda,
Our two nations have been united for decades by the European idea. The dream of European unification – as described by the founding fathers – has come true. It has secured freedom in the united Europe. From the very outset agriculture was an integral part of the European unification activities. Without it the European success story would be unthinkable.

Trade in quality products grown in the Netherlands is one of that country’s most important sectors. Germany has always been one of its largest buyers. Who doesn't think when they hear the words - the Netherlands - about the famous "Tulips from Amsterdam"? As far back as 1962, the IGW catalogue stated "The Netherlands offer us the fragrant splendour of spring blooms already in winter".

Splendid blooms are the symbol for great product diversity and high standards. If we wish to maintain this diversity in the long-term, then we have to reconcile the needs of people and the environment. This is a key objective in the Netherlands, too.

The traditional windmills are a good example. There is a hundred year-old tradition of renewable energy in your country. Today, solar collectors on greenhouses generate electricity. Energy production and agriculture form a productive symbiosis. This is one example of forward-looking development that is well worth imitating.

Ladies and Gentlemen,
The current banking, financial and economic crisis clearly mirrors the uncertain times we live in. We have worked intensively and quickly on safeguarding the near future. With the two packages of measures we have awakened new forces for a growth-oriented economy. In the belief that a rapid response is better than a heavy loss we have grouped together a series of individual measures. They will be of particular benefit to small and medium-sized agricultural companies as well as the upstream and downstream sectors.

This was very important to me. How do these packages benefit agriculture and rural areas? They are involved in the extension to special depreciation and the declining-balance depreciation. This improves liquidity and encourages investment. Farming families also benefit from three measures:

• a reduction in health insurance contributions,
• additional services for children and
• a lowering of income tax.

Furthermore, we are providing impetus for the infrastructure in rural areas:

• village renovation,
• construction of rural roads,
• flood prevention,
• energy and communication.

The rural infrastructure is one of four parts of an infrastructure programme amounting to 3.5 billion Euro.

One important point for me is rapid Internet. We will soon present a broadband strategy. I would like every home to have rapid Internet access by 2010. Energy supply is also part of infrastructure. We have experienced very recently what dependencies in this area actually mean.

Hence we also wish to launch pilot products for independent energy regions. What I am talking about is an efficient, competitive, regionally diverse and multifunctional agricultural sector. We need reliable framework conditions and a fundamental belief in our own strength. This must be embedded in attractive rural areas with a broad range of services and a high quality of life. This requires the commitment of a lot of people. Policymakers must and will chart the right course to achieve these aims.

Dear Commissioner, Dear Mariann,
The review and adjustment of the EU agricultural reform, the Health Check, marked an important milestone. We have all debated hard with one another. I put forward arguments to support the German interests while you defended the pan-European stance. Whatever common ground and opposing views we may have had, I would like to say that you always aimed to be fair in all our negotiations. That is really commendable. I believe that we were all able to achieve a great deal for the further development of agriculture within the European Union.

We wish to continue down that path. After all the European Union, Europe represents our common future. We will soon discuss the targets for rural Europe in Brussels. We want to use the "Common Agricultural Policy" to create a viable basis for the agricultural sector to compete in global markets after 2013 as well. We are well prepared for these discussions.

We want European agriculture with three attributes:

• highly competitive,
• high quality and
• anchored in the region.

Our farmers need secure means of income. Hence I will continue to advocate direct payments:

• to protect food and energy security,
• to compensate for high production standards and
• as remuneration for the provision of special services to society.

The agricultural production of food and of renewable resources should be geared even more towards demand. Germany enjoys major advantages through free trade. In 2008 we were once again the world’s leading exporter – for exports in agricultural machinery, too. However, at the same time, the globally integrated markets greatly increased competitive pressure on the German agricultural sector, too.

We can provide support by creating good and stable framework conditions. The agriculture and food industries will be able to assert themselves on the global markets with their heavily fluctuating prices. Quality and innovation, flexibility and courage – these are the entrepreneurial virtues that will enable us to progress. This is demonstrated by our agricultural exports. For 2008 we expect a record volume of exports worth 53 billion Euro.

Our Action Plan for the Promotion of Exports also contributed to this great success. It helps German companies to break into foreign markets and establish export contacts. We are opening doors! The agriculture and food industry then has to go through these open doors. Planning for the future means formulating goals.

One of these goals is sustainability. This means we don't want to live off the main stock but off the yield and we want to create new stock. That is our duty as well as our responsibility for future generations. This also applies to the consequences of climate change. We must avoid further risks and take timely precautionary measures.

My Ministry is the first in the Federal Government to submit its own concept with 10 areas of action on the theme of "Sustainability in practice". Allow me to elaborate on three of them:

1. Bioenergy and renewable resources

Energy and raw materials are the basic prerequisites for creating added value and jobs, and for improving quality of life. My ministry is going to present a new Action Plan entitled "Energy of tomorrow – opportunities for rural areas" that will entail an ambitious concept for the future. The three main areas are

• more knowledge about generating energy from biomass,
• improving statutory framework conditions and
• expanding investment promotion.

2. Strengthen the competitiveness of companies and rural areas

Our agricultural and forestry companies face tough competition. Under our Joint Task programme we are, therefore, providing targeted support for investment and market-structuring measures. Demographic change constitutes a huge challenge for our rural areas. This is where we are particularly in need of more ideas and innovative proposals.

One thing is clear: rural development is most effective if people on the spot are given support that enables them to take the future into their own hands.

3. Healthy food and global food security

Food is one of the main foundations of life for mankind. This makes agriculture a special part of our economy. Our high level of self-sufficiency is primarily the result of our farmers’ labour. We now take the food for granted. In many other parts of the world the situation is very different. Almost one billion people are suffering from hunger.

We, therefore, wish to assume our responsibility as a member of the international community. The aim is to achieve global food security. At the 1st Berlin Summit of Agriculture Ministers this week we placed the subject of food security right at the top of the agenda. But it also makes sense for us here in Germany to think more about food. It’s not true everywhere but sometimes knowledge about food, the "basic means for life", is lost. This knowledge must be imparted early on in nursery and school education.

People wish to and should know where their food comes from and what it contains. Incidentally, a healthy, conscious diet is an important topic this year, too. I am delighted that we are all - starting with the farmers over the food processing industry down to consumers – pulling in the same direction. With "IN FORM – the Initiative for Healthy Diets and Physical Activity". It doesn’t take much effort for people to become more active and adopt a healthy lifestyle and it results in a great deal of pleasure and fun.

Ladies and Gentlemen,
During the tour of the exhibition you and I will collect various impressions. We will see just how much effort, just how much science, just how much creativity there is in agriculture, horticulture and the food industry. But for us to be able to see all that, the trade fair must be officially opened. I don't wish to do that alone. We always have a partner country. Hence dear Gerda, please be so kind and come and join me up here.

We hereby declare the International Green Week 2009 open!