First, Mr. Chairman, let me congratulate you to the excellent work you and the bureau did in preparation of this meeting. I am confident that under your able guidance and demonstrated leadership this Commission will achieve tangible results. I want to state that Austria fully aligns itself with the statement made by the European Commission on behalf of the European Union. In addition, I would like to underline some issues, which I consider being of key importance to achieve a truly sustainable development. Mr. Chairman, Austria s agriculture is characterized by small, non industrial agricultural units.
Forests are a dominant feature of the Austrian landscape.
Apart from their economic importance for timber production forests fulfill multiple functions such as the protective and the recreational function. Under these circumstances the multifunctional character of agriculture plays an important role and, therefor, I would like to draw your attention to this characteristic of the European model of agriculture. Agriculture, beyond its function of producing food, feed and fibre and thereby addressing food security, contributes to a number of important economic and ecological functions which are to a large extent inter-linked. Agriculture is of key importance for the preserving of Austria s rural environment and landscape and contributes to the viability of rural areas and balanced territorial development. The Austrian landscape and its biological diversity have been characterized by long-standing anthropogenic activities in agriculture and forestry.