10 December 2012 No 51 ISSN 1664-7963

Current Concerns PO Box CH-8044 Zurich Current Concerns Switzerland The international journal for independent thought, ethical standards, moral responsibility, Phone: +41 44 350 65 50 Fax: +41 44 350 65 51 and for the promotion and respect of public international law, human rights and humanitarian law

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“Maintaining productivity at today’s level of self-sufficiency of at least net 54 percent” “Feeding the population reasonably on the basis of family farming” Interview with National Councillor Markus Ritter, CVP SG, president of the Swiss Farmers’ Association

thk. On 12 De- What are the priorities of the new Agri- cember, the sec- cultural Policy? Art. 104 Agriculture ond chamber It includes an increased focus on the ob- 1The Confederation shall ensure that agri- of Parliament, jectives of our Constitution. The basic cultural sector, by means of a sustainable the Council of idea is that each constitutional objective and market oriented production policy, States, discussed is converted into concrete actions and ap- makes an essential contribution towards: the bill on Ag- propriate instruments using an appropri- a. the reliable provision of the population with foodstuffs; ricultural Poli- ate incentive process. The result is that the b. the conservation of natural resources cy 2014 to 2017. constitutional objectives, security of sup- and the upkeep of the countryside; After the Na- ply and maintenance of the countryside as c. decentralised population settlement of tional Council well as the whole range of environmental the country. already made services as decentralized settlement can 2In addition to the self-help measures National Councillor some changes, it be promoted. that can reasonably be expected in the Markus Ritter, CVP SG, is now the Coun- agriculture sector and if necessary in der- President of Swiss cil of States’ task Does the Federal Council’s proposal to ogation from the principle of economic Farmers’ Asociation. freedom, the Confederation shall sup- (picture thk) to submit their provide more area-based payments get concerns and closer to the constitutional objective of port farms that cultivate the land. 3The Confederation shall organise meas- suggestions. Particularly controversial is security of supply? ures in such a manner that the agricultur- Article 72, which regulates the supply secu- The Federal Council has established a di- al sector fulfils its multi-functional duties. rity contributions on grassland. National verse work group for the further develop- It has in particular the following powers Councillor Markus Ritter, recently elected ment of the direct payment system. De- and duties: president of the Swiss Farmers’ Associa- pending on the perspective or order, these a. supplementing revenues from agri- tion and therefore successor to National people have joined the working group culture by means of direct subsidies in Councillor Hansjörg Walter, explains in with different ideas and objectives. Of order to achieve of fair and adequate the following interview what kinds of prob- course, the different emphasis on the Con- remuneration for the services provid- lems and why arise from this bill. stitution also led to different opinions: ed, subject to proof of compliance with ecological requirements. How much security of supply, how much b. encouraging by means of economi- How did the bill Agricultural Policy for ecology, how should the cultivation of the cally advantageous incentives meth- 2014–2017 come about, and what is to be landscape be weighted and what means it ods of production that are specifical- laid down in the new Agriculture Act? should be equipped with. This fundamen- ly near-natural and respectful of both Agricultural policy in Switzerland is based tal debate has continued to this day in Par- the environment and livestock. on the Federal Constitution, Article 104. In liament. This becomes evident in the vari- c. legislating on declarations of origin, 1996 the Swiss approved of this article by ous applications that have been identified quality, production methods and pro- 77 percent. On this basis, the 1999 Agri- during previous consultations. cessing procedures for foodstuffs. culture Act in its present form was adopt- d. protecting the environment against ed in principle by the Parliament. The cur- Does Agricultural Policy for 2014–2017 the detrimental effects of the exces- sive use of fertilisers, chemicals and rent revision of the act happens within the provide the right answers to the challeng- other auxiliary agents. context of a motion for Agricultural Policy es of the years to come? e. at its discretion, encouraging agricul- 2011 by the Council of States, in which the It is crucial that the demands on the ag- tural research, counselling and educa- Council of States demanded to revise the ricultural policies are now vehemently tion and subsidise investments. law and submit a report saying whether the determined from outside. The situation *Withf. at its discretion, legislating on agricultural policy in Switzerland should regarding the supply and food securi- the consolidation of agricultural proper- not be aligned more closely with the Con- ty in view of the very rapidly growing ty holdings. 4 stitution. Subsequently, the Federal Council world population – every year about 80 For these purposes, the Confeder- submitted a report on the further develop- million –, with the increasing scarci- ation shall provide both funds ear- marked for the agricultural sector and ment of the direct payment system. Parlia- ty of fresh water, with large-scale floods general federal funds. ment could discuss and take note of this and droughts does show the world that a Source: www.admin.ch/ch/e/rs/1/101. report. Based on these proceeings, the Ag- greater importance should be attached to en.pdf ricultural Policy for 2014–2017(AP 14-17) the security of supply. In the last three to was adopted by the Federal Council with a message to Parliament. continued on page 2 No 51 10 December 2012 Current Concerns Page 2

”‘Maintaining productivity at …’” ly in Central Switzerland, and 1,400 hec- Of course we have a whole range of continued from page 1 tares, mainly in the mountain areas, face proposals that have been approved in four years there has been a correspond- increasing reforestation. This side marked the Council of States by the Commit- ing shift in focus. In this context it is im- a clear loss of productive land. The second tee; moreover, there are proposals, but portant to attach greater importance to the point is that with incentives for extensive they are minorities in Parliament; and of producing agriculture and thus the securi- agriculture productivity will be reduced course there are also individual proposals. ty of supply. With respect to the ecologi- with the overall effect that our self-suffi- We will have to converse with individual cal achievements Switzerland, which has ciency continues to decline. We are now Councillors of States and present them our some 120,000 hectares of ecological com- close to 50 percent, and if we remember arguments, and then keep the debate run- pensation area with a total area of 1 mil- that the Swiss population is growing, this ning in the Council of States. lion hectares of arable land, has already means a further deterioration of the busi- reached a very large expansion. Increas- ness location Switzerland in times of cri- Which issues would be important there? ing the quality and networking are the sis, especially when the international de- Article 9 includes an extension of the only things that can be done here. There- velopments increase the way they do. A competence of the Federal Council con- fore, we must lead the discussions with the full-time supply of the population with cerning the general applications. This is partners. food belongs to a country’s security, how- important especially in our asymmetric ever. markets, where many producers are fac- Where are the sensitive issues in the Ag- ing fewer buyers. For us Article 54 is also ricultural Policy for 2014–2017 for pro- The self-supply of our country seems to important because it includes that the feed ductive agriculture, which we ought to me a very important point. This is also a grain is promoted; here we want to set the continue expanding according to your requirement of the World Agriculture Re- tone for a local food base. In Article 72 is statement? port, to which Swiss scientists have con- important that the land contributions are The implementation – and this is my crit- tributed significantly. In the long term, subject to a slightly stronger production. icism – will cause a significant amount the small-scale, regionally based and co- And that Parliament confirms the propos- of administrative work, as many of the operatively organized agriculture on fam- als of the National Council and the CEAT new instruments, which are to be intro- ily farms are a solution to the world hun- in the global credit. duced, will require appropriate planning ger problem, the report says. To what It is crucial that our agriculture produc- and controls prior to their implementa- extent these findings of the World Agricul- es sustainably and that it grows. We pro- tion, right down to the cantonal and op- ture Report are taken into account in the duce in an integrated manner; we only use erational level. We are also concerned Agricultural Policy for 2014–2017? as many adjuvants as necessary. Ecolog- that the strong focus of direct payments It is one of the positive developments as- ical performance requires this standard on the surface will exacerbate the market sociated with the Agricultural Policy for today. It is also true that good seeds on fer- with respect to the leased land with high- 2014–2017 that the food sovereignty has tile soils with a healthy water supply and er rents. The instruments, as they are now been confirmed in the Agriculture Act both a purposeful fertilization can achieve good set, have an intensifying effect. Our con- by the National Council and the Commit- yields. With good yields we can achieve cern is that the incentives for productivi- tee for Economic Affairs and Taxation the objectives of supply security. But I ty are maintained on today’s level of self- (CEAT). Next week and the week after am also convinced that the training of the sufficiency of at least 54 percent net and next, the Council of States will also de- next generation is very important so that increase in this direction. cide that we write down these fundamen- we will have the know-how in our farms to tal values in the law. This is very impor- cultivate the land properly. In Switzerland What would it take for the peasantry in tant in view of the aforementioned future we are already at a high level. Therefore, order to maintain this coverage or, if pos- challenges that we have the opportunity to efforts need to continue in this direction. sible, to enhance it? decide on food sovereignty independently It is also important that the performance There are three points that I wish to ad- and also to determine what kind of agri- of agriculture on the markets is rewarded dress here. One is that we are trying to culture we want. I consider the model of in the market by corresponding percent- achieve a slightly higher number of an- family farms for Switzerland to be the right ages of the value added. Agriculture still imals on the pasture area relative to the one. Family farms that offer both an ex- gets an average of 20 percent or better 20 surface; this concerns Article 72. Next, istence and a home, they produce healthy cents of a consumer franc, which is spent we aspire a contribution to the feed grain food and can be run economically while on food. We need cost-covering prices for in Article 54. In recent years we have lost offering room for traditions and culture. agricultural products, so that we can main- 30,000 to 40,000 hectares of cultivat- This is very important for us. On the other tain and develop our farms. ed area to the cultivation of feed grains. hand, we have no other choice but to feed Swiss feed grain is important for the the world population wisely on the basis of The Agricultural Policy for 2014–2017, as farmers so that we can feed our stocks family farms. Large-scale monocultures stated in the message, also has the objec- of chickens and pigs in particular mainly lead to very unstable international mar- tive of preparing agriculture in terms of a with local cereals. Thus we are distinct- kets, which are associated with strong price further opening to the markets. What do ly emphasizing the „Swissness“ and hence fluctuations, which lead to a situation that you think about this issue? the quality strategy. The third point is that poorer parts of the population cannot live It is a very broad range of topics that is the increased benefit payments in the area on a balanced diet. This leads to very large addressed here. Swiss agriculture, and we of ecology are paid at a reasonable cost. waves of hunger, accompanied by corre- must be aware of this, has the capacity sponding troubles as we have seen in North to supply the population in Switzerland. Where do you see dangers when benefit Africa two years ago. Foreign markets can be supplied only to contributions are linked more to land- a very limited degree. On the one hand, scape conservation than to the animal During the session the Council of States we have very good products in the area population? will once again have the opportunity to of cheese that are also established in for- In Switzerland, we have 1 million hec- have a corrective impact on Agricultur- eign markets. Moreover, it is hardly pos- tares of arable land and of which annually al Policy for 2014–2017. What is up for sible to supply foreign markets with more 2,000 hectares are used in building, main- discussion? continued on page 3 No 51 10 December 2012 Current Concerns Page 3 The Council of States is presided by the canton of Ticino by National Councillor Jakob Büchler, CVP SG

“[…] My second thought – which connects me with the address of the out- going president – concerns us all, ladies and gentlemen, and particularly the institutional role that we are endowed with as representatives of the can- tons under the dome of the Federal House. We learned in school, and often it seems like a ritual mantra: Switzerland is based on federalism, and the Coun- cil of States is its institutional guarantee. It is true, we know, but how often do we really think of it in our daily parliamentarian work? How often are we pursuing our political priorities in noble and understandable zeal and forget the existence of the cantons and of the institutional role that we should ful- fill? How often do we accept that the policy and the administration of the Fed- eral Government ignore – not to say mistreat – the cantons and their institu- tions? How often do we forget to consult them, or ignore their opinions or even treat the Cantonal initiatives rather as petitions? Ladies and gentlemen, the federalism is not a relic we can let gather dust in the historical library of President of the Swiss our country. Federalism is the strength of Switzerland and the most useful and Council of States effective instrument to guide today’s society and to build the one of tomor- Filippo Lombardi row which is becoming increasingly complex. It is a genuine service to the cit- (picture Parlamentsdienste Bern) izens, at the level that is closest to them, and which enables them every day to realize their own identity as active members of a vibrant community where The new President of the Swiss Council of they really have a say rather than being a mere social security number. Let us States is called Filippo Lombardi and has defend this federalism, let us defend our cantons as we defend the direct de- acquired the highest position in the small mocracy and our neutrality [...].” chamber. The Christian Democrat from From the speech of Filippo Lombardi on the occasion of his election to the Presidency Ticino was elected by 39 votes and thus of the Council of States on 26 November 2012, held in his native Italian language. succeeds to Hans Altherr from Appenzell (Translation Current Concerns) Ausserrhoden. Filippo Lombardi is delegate to the with Lombardi the Italian part of Switzer- has no longer been represented in the Fed- Board of Directors of Tele Ticino and Radio land will get a greater hearing in the rest eral Council. 3iii. He studied law and economic policy of the country. There are many problems Lombardi is one of the few politicians at the University of Freiburg, Switzerland. in the south, the declining financial sector, from Ticino who operate on the nation- Lombardi was elected in the winter ses- the increasing spate of cross-border work- al stage and are being heard. For thirteen sion on 26 November 2012 for the term of ers, wage dumping and high unemploy- years the gifted communicator and net- 2012/2013 and is the first President from ment. Many citizens in the canton of Ticino worker Lombardi has been politicizing Ticino in this function in 25 years. feel neglected since the resignation of Fed- in the small chamber. He has always lob- The people in Ticino place high expecta- eral Councillor Flavio Cotti in 1999. For bied for the interests of Southern Swit- tions on Filippo Lombardi. They hope that more than 13 years, the canton of Ticino continued on page 4

”‘Maintaining productivity at …’” dustrialized countries’ concerns in terms duction of healthy foods. We farm- continued from page 2 of their monetary problems and indebted- ers are also those who care for nearly ness. Against this background, parliament half of our country in areas in which products in the required style. With a self- adopted the objectives of an agricultur- we can experience recreation and where sufficiency rate of net 54 percent it is not al free trade with the EU, whose driving tourism takes place. I think, especial- possible to conquer foreign markets in a force were the WTO negotiations. This ly with the growing population in Swit- reasonable way. does no longer meet with a political ma- zerland and the growing service econ- Secondly, higher costs for agriculture jority. What we need to observe are the ne- omy, it is increasingly important that a in Switzerland are a reality. We are talking gotiations on a free trade agreement with variety of habitats and a healthy flora about an additional 1 billion Swiss francs China. Here we are in close contact with and fauna are present. This is also the of higher external costs which Swiss ag- the farmers and the responsible federal place for ecological balance. It is these riculture requires compared to agriculture agencies to be able to early incorporate areas that are so important for the recov- in neighboring countries, such as in Ba- the agricultural concerns. We will follow ery and well-being of our population. I varia and Baden-Wuerttemberg. Against the proceedings very closely and protect am firmly convinced that the frequent- this background, it is also very important our interests. ly mentioned battle for the world’s best that the Swiss agriculture has a customs talent, which will be discussed again border, so that these higher costs can be According to your clear explanations, it is by the economic leaders, can be won mitigated. The liberalization efforts of the extremely important that the agricultur- by Switzerland only if the whole fam- eighties and nineties have come to a vir- al policy is adapted where these foresee- ily like us, if they like to live here and tual standstill. First, it is the WTO Doha able developments have been considered hence our employed society is motivated Round, which was launched in 2001 and too little so that we have an agricultur- at the workplace. This makes the Swiss which is no longer progressing. The rea- al policy in terms of food sovereignty and agriculture a very important contribu- sons are that it was started much too soon food sovereignty. tion to the future and the development after the Uruguay Round, that the objec- Yes, the Swiss agriculture plays an im- of our country as a leading living space tives are outdated, that no country wants portant role in the future of our coun- and economic area in Europe. to take on leadership responsibility any- try. We are an important wheel in the more and that the former efforts for lib- economic development of Switzerland, National Councillor Mr Ritter, thank you eralization have been replaced by the in- on the one hand in relation to the pro- for this interview. • No 51 10 December 2012 Current Concerns Page 4 Filippo Lombardi – a citizen from Ticino, who stands for the federalist Swiss model mw. On 26 November 2012, the Swiss Graf said in her inaugural speech:“If we constitutional amendments or the mem- Council of States elected Filippo Lombar- look back on the founding of the federal bership in international organisations like di from Ticino as President for 2013. Filip- state, it is striking that after the end of the UN or the EU double approval is required: po Lombardi made the consideration and civil war the victors approached the van- In addition to the majority of votes of the strengthening of federalism the principal quished, integrated them and provided for entire Swiss population, at least 12 can- objectives of his political activity. compensation.” (cf. page 5) tons (from 20 full cantons and 6 half can- The distinct federalist system of our tons) must approve by a majority of votes. country is of great importance for our fel- Council of States and low citizens beyond the Gotthard as they majority of cantons Quadrilingual Switzerland play a special role in our federal state with For this purpose the Federal Assembly Respect of the national languages in their geographic situation and their Italian was established as a parliament with two quadrilingual Switzerland is a matter of language. chambers endowed with equal rights and course: It goes without saying that Ital- being on equal terms – no law is passed ian is the official language in the canton Federalist structure in Switzerland which has not been ap- Ticino and the first language taught in in the federal state of 1848 proved by both councils. 200 seats of the schools; but also the correspondence of The federal state of Switzerland was National Council are distributed accord- the federal administration with the ad- founded in 1848 after long tensions be- ing to the number of inhabitants in the ministrative authorities of Ticino and tween Catholic-conservative land can- various cantons: At the moment Zurich as with the single citizens is in Italian, the tons and liberal-radical town cantons the most populous canton has 34 seats, the voting documents are in Italian, and if a which culminated in the Sonderbund War little populated mountain canton Uri has citizen of Ticino takes legal action be- of 1847. Unlike after civil wars in other only one. However, the Council of States fore the Federal Court, the whole pro- countries, the liberal winners did not aim was introduced in 1848 as a guarantor for cedure takes place in Italian language. at subjecting the vanquished land cantons small cantons: In the Council of States All federal decrees, federal court deci- – to the Swiss, who have always been ac- every canton obtained two seats (one seat sions and administrative documents are customed to democracy, such aims were each for the six half cantons), so that the available in three languages: in German, strange. The founding fathers rather want- land cantons and mountain cantons did in French and in Italian. The Rhaeto- ed a federal state in which all cantons not have to fear being overrun by the pop- Romanic language in some parts of should consider themselves full member ulous cantons like Zurich, Bern or Vaud. the Grisons is protected by the Federal states and their inhabitants as a co-deter- As the second federalist security mech- Constitution and promoted with federal mining part of the sovereign. As Maya anism serves the majority of cantons. With money. •

”The Council of States is presided by …” he anticipated the decision of the Fed- As an inhabitant of Ticino, he also ad- continued from page 3 eral Council, who subsequently came to vertises the sun-lounge Ticino as a resort the same decision, although not unani- for many German-speaking Swiss people. zerland. In recent times, he requested mously. The tourism canton of Ticino offers him a the second road tube through the Got- Lombardi speaks mostly Italian when good platform. thard with emphasis. For him, a closure presiding the chamber, even if he is able His presidential year will provide a val- planned due to the renovation of the Got- to express himself in an eloquent German. uable service for the cohesion of the coun- thard road tunnel is not an option, if the Of course he cares for the Italian language try especially for the appreciation of the second road tube is not installed. Thus of the Ticino very well. Ticino. • No 51 10 December 2012 Current Concerns Page 5 “Integration of forces, taking the opinions of others seriously, genuine reflection and listening leads to consensus-based solutions” Maya Graf elected for “highest Swiss”

“If we look back on the founding of the federal state, it is striking that after the end of the civil war the victors approached the vanquished, integrated them and provided for compensation. [...] The fact that the present parliament works so well, despite disparities between town and country, between conservatives and progres- sives, is also a legacy of the founding period. The integration of forces, taking the opinions of others seriously, genuine reflection and listening – not the blind par- roting of right or left ideology – leads to consensus-based solutions. This needs to be preserved. We can be proud of this legacy, and I think this spirit of that time is required more than ever, today. We have to solve many tasks in the context of sus- tainable development, not only for our living together in Switzerland, but also in cooperation with our European neighbors. As the President of this Council I will live these still modern ideals with abso- President of the National Council lute commitment: I promise to be a fair and competent chair and a true democrat Maya Graf (picture thk) in the representation of the parliament. I will be a ‘première citoyenne’ who feels closely connected to the citizens of our country and who wants to show them that thk. On Monday, 26 November, Maya we can be proud of our diversity, our good cooperation in this parliament and of Graf was elected President of the Nation- the democratic institutions of Switzerland. This is what we need above all to solve our many tasks for a sustainable Switzerland together.” al Council. The brilliant vote, 173 of 189, confirms the respect and recognition that Source: www.admin.ch Maya Graf is paid across all party lines. (Translation Current Concerns) For one year, she will hold the office of the highest Swiss and preside the Great early: at the age of 21 she became a re- Chamber. Her colleagues in Parliament gional board member of the Reformed appreciate her honest and natural manner, Church. After finishing school, she Current Concerns her expertise, her ability to listen, and her completed her training as a social work- The international journal for independent calm and deliberate way of engaging in er. In 1988 she was elected the youngest thought, ethical standards, moral responsibility, discussions. member of the community commission and for the promotion and respect The competent politician and – as the of Sissach, and in 1995, with 33 years, of public international law, human rights and humanitarian law “Neue Zürcher Zeitung” of 26 Novem- she held a seat in the Parliament of Ba- ber writes – “one of the greatest talents sel-Country. Since 2001, Maya Graf has Publisher: Zeit-Fragen Cooperative in authenticity” has built up a reputation been a member of the National Council Editor: Erika Vögeli by her advocacy for the moratorium on for the Green Party. Address: Current Concerns, genetic engineering. Together with like- Maya Graf’s early interest in poli- P.O. Box, CH-8044 Zurich minded people from other parties, she tics has probably to do with her father, Phone: +41 (0)44 350 65 50 launched the people’s initiative, which who was a district administrator. Even Fax: +41 (0)44 350 65 51 was approved by the people and cantons though she put her political focus differ- E-Mail: [email protected] in 2005. To date, the moratorium has ently, this experience has been beneficial Subscription details: been extended once and is to be extend- for the office as President of the Nation- published regularly electronically as PDF file ed one more time together with the Ag- al Council, namely for the task of deal- Annual subscription rate of SFr. 40,-, € 30,-, £ 25,-, $ 40,- ricultural Policy 2014–2017. A blessing ing with different political views, a qual- for the following countries: for the country and the people, because ity that is extremely important especially Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brunei, Canada, this way Switzerland has been spared for Switzerland’s concordance democra- Cyprus, , Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hongkong, Iceland, Ireland, Israel, Italy, from genetically modified foods. This is cy. In her inaugural address immediately Japan, Kuwait, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Nether- an achievement of extraordinary impor- after her election, she therefore paid trib- lands, New Zealand, Norway, Qatar, Singapore, tance which has met with wide attention ute to the foundation of the Swiss fed- Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, United Arab ­Emirates, across the borders. By means of several eral state in 1848 as a historic achieve- United Kingdom, USA parliamentary initiatives Maya Graf, who ment and emphasized that this spirit still Annual subscription rate of SFr. 20,-, € 15,-, £ 12,50, $ 20,- also runs an organic farm with her fam- determines the political life in our coun- for all other countries. ily, has campaigned for healthy food and try (see box). Account: Postscheck-Konto: PC 87-644472-4 promoted food sovereignty. In this sense, she will act and create The editors reserve the right to shorten letters to Maya Graf has been interested in connections and build bridges between the editor. Letters to the editor do not necessarily environmental issues since her school the different points of view and opin- reflect the views and opinions of Current Concerns. years, when she debated such topics ions, and thus give further impetus to the © 2012. All rights reserved. No reproduction, copy or with her peers. Her commitment to the unique Swiss democracy. Current Con- transmission of this publication may be made without written people and the environment emerged cerns wishes her every success. • permission. No 51 10 December 2012 Current Concerns Page 6 Renewal of the GM moratorium For quality and independence of our food

As part of the Agricultural Policy for Soon after having been passed by Parlia- 2014–2017, parliament is about not to ment, the motion was already converted Political success in a short grant any license for commercial cultiva- by the decisions on Agricultural Policy time: GM-free agriculture tion of GM crops for another four years. for 2014–2017. until 2017 The debate on agriculture is the right place for the moratorium renewal. The Quality strategy and food sovereignty March 2012: National Councillor Rit- National Council has already decided in The parliamentary debate on Agricultur- ter (and 121 signatories) request by September: with 112 votes versus 62; it al Policy for 2014–2017 has brought the motion to renew the moratorium on genetic engineering in 2017. thus followed the motion of the pre-con- quality strategy as the future orientation sulting Committee on Economic Affairs of Swiss agriculture and food industry to August 2012: The Committee on Eco- to continue to give no permits for agricul- the fore. The strategy is to improve mar- nomic Affairs of the National Council tural cultivation of genetically modified ket opportunities. The absence of genetic wants to embed the renewal already plants. The moratorium is to last until the engineering is one of the profiles of Swiss in Agricultural Policy for 2014–2017. end of 2017 instead of expiring in 2013. food on the market. September 2012: The National Coun- It can be expected that the Council of The principle of food sovereignty has cil supports the Motion Ritter (123 States will also follow this line. In No- newly been enshrined in the Agriculture Yes: 62 No) and votes in favor of a vember its Committee on Economic Af- Act. The Federation is to configure agri- renewal until 2017 (112 Yes: 62 No) in fairs has confirmed the decision of the cultural measures in such a way that Swit- the Agricultural Policy for 2014–2017. National Council and recommended the zerland independently ensures its food November 2012: The Committee on renewal of the moratorium to the Coun- supply. Taken seriously this order includes Economic Affairs of the Council of cil of States. that animal feed imports may not continue States follows the decision of the Na- The fact that issue of renewing the to increase and the procurement of seeds tional Council. moratorium was linked to agricultur- needs to be less dependent on global agri- December 2012: The Council of al debate is justified by its very nature. cultural trusts. States will pass resolutions about Ag- The moratorium applies to the agricul- ricultural Policy for 2014–2017 and tural sector. It is the commercial cultiva- Extraordinarily rapid Motion Ritter. tion of GM crops for which no permits political implementation March 2013: final votes in the Na- are issued. Research trials and all medi- Due to the rapid political implemen- tional Council and in the Council of cal applications are subject to the law of tation, Switzerland will renounce GM States about the Agricultural Policy genetic engineering for the human and foods countrywide. This will strength- for 2014–2017. the non-human sphere. The renewal of en the food supply and is broadly accept- Source: sag gentechfrei-info, the moratorium was triggered off by a ed and appreciated by farmers and con- November 2012 motion of National Councillor Markus sumers on both sides. Food manufacturers Ritter (CVP), an organic farmer in the and the trade will be spared from the ad- environment and health, after a new study Rhine Valley of canton St. Gallen (gen- ditional cost of separating their products. from France has again revived the contro- techfrei-info GMO – free info of Septem- Even in science the clear starting point is versy. • ber). The motion met with wide approv- an advantage. Because there is more time Source: sag gentechfrei- info, November 2012 al in the National Council and could go to deepen the knowledge about the risks down in history as “Express-Motion”. of genetically modified organisms for the (Translation Current Concerns)

Current Concerns The international journal for independent thought, ethical standards, moral responsibility, and for the promotion and respect of public international law, human rights and humanitarian law Subscribe to Current Concerns – The journal of an independent cooperative The cooperative Zeit-Fragen is a politically and financially independent organisation. All of its mem­bers work on a voluntary and honorary basis. The journal does not accept commercial advertisements of any kind and receives no financial support from business organisations. The journal Current Concerns is financed exclusively by its subscribers. We warmly recommend our model of free and independent press coverage to other journals. Annual subscription rate of CHF 40,-; euro 30,-; USD 40,-; GBP 25,- for the following countries: Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brunei, Canada, Cyprus, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hongkong, Iceland, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Kuwait, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Qatar, Singapore, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, United Arab ­Emirates, United Kingdom, USA Annual subscription rate of CHF 20,-; euro 15,-; USD 20,-; GBP 12,50 for all other countries. Please choose one of the following ways of payment: - send a cheque to Current Concerns, P. O. Box, CH-8044 Zurich, or - send us your credit card details (only Visa), or - pay into one of the following accounts: CH: Postscheck-Konto (CHF): 87-644472-4 IBAN CH91 0900 0000 8764 4472 4 BIC POFICHBEXXX CH: Postscheck-Konto (euro): 91-738798-6 IBAN CH83 0900 0000 9173 8798 6 BIC POFICHBEXXX D: Volksbank Tübingen, Kto. 67 517 005, BLZ 64190110 IBAN DE12 6419 0110 0067 5170 05 BIC GENODES1TUE A: Raiffeisen Landesbank, Kto. 1-05.713.599, BLZ 37000 IBAN AT55 3700 0001 0571 3599 BIC RVVGAT2B No 51 10 December 2012 Current Concerns Page 7 Small family farming has a future Conference of GM-free regions at Lake Constance in St. Arbogast near Götzis Michael Götz, freelance agricultural journalist LBB-GmbH, Eggersriet, Switzerland

Agriculture in accordance with the lo- arguments of its critics. Their experts value. Not all of the products are under the cation and without genetically modified keep reiterating how safe genetic engi- label “organic food”, but they all are GM- (GM) crops preserves natural resources. neering in agriculture was, despite vari- free. The network comprises 10 associa- By providing regional products, farmers ous scientific studies showing also poten- tions based on the principle of solidarity create values in the population and in- tial hazards. Not once has it been possible as well as non-profit organizations around crease revenue. so far to find a two-third majority against Munich and Augsburg. Not only agricul- the approval of yet another GM product ture, but craftsmanship, consumers, church- “The structure of small family farms in within the European parliament, Benny es as well as environmentalists belong to our agriculture is no obsolescent model”, Härlin of the European GM-free Re- the network. “We need people with heart, ministerial director Wolfgang Reimer of gions Network deplores. The EU states brain and belly”, as the director puts it. The the Ministry of Rural Affairs and Con- are divided regarding this issue, so that products may be purchased in 900 stores, sumer Protection Baden-Wuerttemberg the current ban of growing GM crops is but wholesale companies are excluded as is convinced. From the national econom- in danger. distributors, since regional producers op- ics point of view small family farming is Josef Gross of the Bavarian State Re- pose delivering standardized goods. more beneficial than industrialized agri- search Center for Agriculture in Freis- culture. However, in order for their prod- ing heads the project “action program Producing responsibly ucts to be appreciated on the market, for local protein feeding stuff”. This pro- “I want to demonstrate that we don’t need brands and quality labels are necessary, gram aims at replacing soy imports from genetic engineering”, says Josef Braun, such as “Ecoland Vorarlberg – regional overseas by domestic animal feed. There- farmer in Freising and deputy president and fair” or simply “Allgäu” or “Baden- by the dependency on foreign countries of Bioland Deutschland. In GM-free ag- Wuerttemberg”. These brands may distin- would decrease, GM-free products could riculture healthy farming ground is par- guish themselves by higher standards in be grown and regional agricultural added ticularly important. It is indispensable for animal care and production without genet- value be enhanced. Matthias Krön of the growing healthy plants. However, this re- ically modified organisms, but also by of- society “Donau-Soja” opines that grow- quires a technique adjusted to regional fering alternatives. “Why shouldn’t we be ing GM-free soy in the Danube states of needs and mixing cultures. Earthworms able to grow soy here as well?”, the ref- Romania and Serbia could provide an al- belong to healthy ground. By enriching erent asks. ternative to GM soy from overseas; both humus it contributes to sustaining long- countries cover their needs of soy to term ground fertility. The ground needs The world is no plate 100% by domestic products. herbaceous soil covering throughout the “We should realize that the world isn’t year in order to be enriched. The adviser some sort of plate with the same ubiqui- There is a trend views agriculture not as an end of its own, tous conditions in all places”, says Martin in favor of regional products but part of a greater system. In his opin- Ott, master agriculturalist at the Rheinau “The trend towards regional food products ion agro-forest systems also belong to the estate and president of the foundation’s continues”, says Erhard Höbaus of the future of agriculture. management council of the Research In- Austrian Ministry of Agriculture, Forest- “Is there a shortage of something in stitute of Organic Agriculture (FiBL) in ry, Environment and Water Management. Vorarlberg?”, was the question Bertram Switzerland. Every location is different, About half of the Austrian households Martin of the Martin Estate in Buch asked and hence not only cultivating crops and prefer regional products, which are usu- himself and he decided to add 3,000 lay- keeping livestock, but also the breeding ally GM-free. The Eurobarometer shows, ing hens to his dairy cows. The demand of animals and plants has to be adjusted that the Austrian population is particular- for eggs soon outgrew the supply. Instead accordingly. Contrary to common opin- ly skeptical regarding GM food. On the of increasing the number of his own hens, ion, agriculture is no merely technical other hand, a healthy diet is no priority in the farmer created a network with other procedure which can be optimized that the daily routine of Austrians. More and small structure partnering farms in the re- way. A biotechnological corporation may more often meals consist of instant prod- gion in order to market the eggs together. deliver their seeds world-wide today, al- ucts. “For me, healthy food is as important At the same time a pasta production facili- though these are by no means adjusted to as knowing how to read and write”, says ty was created in order to level out season- the different regions. Martin Ott warns Christine Singer, master of home eco- al fluctuations in the demand for eggs. The the farmers against letting themselves be nomics and farmer from Upper Bavaria. spelt flour used for the pasta is supplied fooled into dependency on some global She wants to teach awareness of the inner by already more than 30 Vorarlberg farm- seed corporations. Added value will be value of food to the consumers again and ers growing spelt on 80 hectares. Thanks cashed in by others that way. “I want the to show them how to prepare proper meals to the initiative of one single man other cream on my milk for myself”, the farm- from staple foods. production opportunities have become er epitomizes his aim. It is mainly the regional products which available to other farmers in the region, fulfill the consumers’ wish for healthy and too. “The crucial thing is to create the de- GM bans are jeopardized environmentally sustainable food products. mand”, says Bertram Martin. • Eva Claudia Lang, head of the office of There are different approaches to the task Michael Götz (Dr Ing Agr), freelance agricultural genetic technology at the Austrian Min- how to market them. One is the associa- journalist, LBB-GmbH, istry of Health sees the independence of tion “Our Land”. “It is a network for sus- Säntisstr. 2a, CH-9034 Eggersriet, Tel.: 0041-71-877 22 29. EU member states in danger. The Euro- taining the foundations of life”, as director Email: [email protected], pean Food Safety Agency (EFSA) is ap- Nikolaus von Doderer describes the objec- www.goetz-beratungen.ch parently very open towards genetically tive of the association. Biodiversity and re- modified food and rarely considers the gional plurality are equal aims to the added (Translation Current Concerns) No 51 10 December 2012 Current Concerns Page 8

German EU and euro policies Redistribution continued The Germans are to be deceived up to the next general election by Karl Müller With the 26/27 November-agreements they were guarantees only and never due – vember-agreements on Greece. In the taken by the euro Finance Ministers and and how to continue with Greece. event of a real solution to the euro crisis, the IMF on Greece in combination with When asked, whether the German tax- Germany most likely was to make large the 27 November-verdict of the European payers, despite all promise by politicians political and financial sacrifices. Chan- Court of Justice in an Irish case against were not to pay for the bailouts by now, cellor Merkel was trying to cover this up the IMF the leaders of IMF, EU and the Schaeffer replied, “Yes, the losses have by all means, solely having in mind her euro zone have continued their concert- already occurred, the funds just have not objective of re-election. The actual plans ed policy of redistribution from citizen to- come into effect yet. The attempt has been shall be made public and implement- wards financial institutions. In Germany made to further push them off with some ed only after the elections. The newspa- in particular, the government also tries to trick. In the end, however, the bitter truth per quotes Lüder Gerken, Director of the deceive the public about the true content will come up. At the end the bailout pol- Centre for European Policy in Freiburg of their agreements, and above all about icy, the so-called rescue policy, will be- as follows: “They [the euro Finance Min- the content of their plans. The German come effective and taxpayers and money isters and the IMF] did not solve one sin- “Handelsblatt”, certainly not suspected savers shall be burdened.” gle long-term problem. They simply of political radicalism, hence headlined Neither Greece nor the Greeks were bought a little time for a lot of money.” its 27 November-issue, “How the euro helped through the measures taken. The German Finance Minister Schäuble rescuers take the tax payer for a fool”. On Greece is on the path of Weimar. Between is cited as follows, “Everyone, includ- 28 November, the “International Herald 1928 and 1932, Weimar has lost 32 per- ing the IMF, was aware of the fact that Tribune” reported that right now the Ger- cent of its economic output. Greece has this [the agreements of 26/27 November] man Chancellor Merkel spares no effort lost almost 19 percent of its economic out- does not solve the problems.” Schäuble is to cover up the truth about the real cost put in the past four years. That means, this said to simultaneously confide to Chris- for the German tax payer until after the is no solution, no way to make things bet- tine Lagarde of the IMF that at a later parliamentary elections next year. ter. Debts will be converted from private point Germany might be prepared for re- into public debts. These debt certificates structuring the Greek state debts – i.e. a In an interview with Deutschlandfunk on are in fact kept by the public sector and no radical haircut, but at that time mainly at 29 November, Hans-Werner Sinn, Direc- longer by private creditors.” taxpayers’ expense. The SPD-opposition tor of the Munich-based Ifo-Institute re- Without any real perspective for leader Steinmeier informed of more time acted in particular to the coherencies of Greece, no new debt cut would help ei- details, “The haircut could be prevented. the latest agreements (see box). Professor ther. It is only at the taxpayer’s expense. It has been postponed until after the next Sinn explains in how far the public is mis- Shifting liability to the taxpayer – which parliamentary elections.” The IHT con- led about the true cost of the 26/27 No- has been happening since 2010 – has to tinues, Merkel was hoping for an elector- vember-agreements on Greece. A real so- be supplanted again by the principle of al victory, possibly a clear majority with lution to the Greece-issue is postponed. “who takes a risk will be liable for it”, a grand coalition for “unpopular agree- The creditor banks in Greece are about to “We have to bring risk and liability in ments” – the modern word for agree- burden all their now worthless debt secu- line again. We have to hold those respon- ments taken past the people. rities of the Greek state, which will not be sible, in the best sense of wording, who A picture of Angela Merkel, pale as a repaid in the foreseeable future, onto the have taken the risk. And this is what we corpse, is shown in the IHT article. How- tax payers. Billions of additional liabili- are not doing.” Hereby, Schaeffer refers ever, her worries obviously do neither ties are heading the tax payer’s way. Sinn to the financial institutions which, for concern Greece, nor the euro or the Ger- comments, “In as much as we perform years have pumped money into Greece man taxpayer. Obviously, she simply cares these large rescue operations now, we per- and collected interests for it. Now, they about her retention of power. mit the creditors all over the world to pull do not want to be made liable for it, in- out of it and secure their assets, where- stead make all European citizens come Citizens have the right to be informed by we and our children become the cred- up for the Greek debts. With keeping secret their euro policy, itors of the Southern Europeans. Good Upon the question of whether also his Angela Merkel and her government vi- for them, they feel becalmed. The capi- colleagues in politics knew that people are olated their oath of office and infringed tal markets are becalmed, but as far as I going to lose a lot of money, Schaeffler re- the imperative of democracy within Ger- am concerned, this process gives reason plies, “Yes, everyone believes it by now.” many’s Basic Law. Citizens are entitled enough to all of us for concern.” Although, the attempt was made to con- to specific information in the matter. ceal the truth with a few tricks until the They have to know what is to become of Merkel intends to disguise upcoming parliamentary elections, it is their money. They are entitled to know the truth with tricks most likely going to be unsuccessful. that alternatives to the current policy On 20 November already, in an interview may be debated openly and the public with the Deutschlandfunk Frank Schaeffler, IHT: Merkel’s concern is not Greece may decide on it. Angela Merkel and the German Member of Parliament of the FDP, but the election victory German government are obliged to fully had commented on the issue of the impact On 28 November, the “International Her- inform the public of their plans. No gov- the former so-called euro bailout measures ald Tribune” (IHT) reported also of the ernment has the right to continuously up to now – of which the politicians say, political background of the 26/27 No- mislead their citizens. •

continued on page 8 No 51 10 December 2012 Current Concerns Page 9

“I do not know how long the citizens here will let themselves be fooled”

Extracts from an interview with Prof Dr Hans-Werner Sinn, director of the “ifo-Institut”, Munich Hans-Werner Sinn: Up to now Greece has generations will have to cope with it. But tries, the Southern countries themselves received altogether 380 billion in cred- the matter is exactly the same, and now which are indebted, both of them have its and in payments due to a haircut. Fur- they are choosing that second way. a problem with each other. And the third ther credits have been announced so that But I do not know how long the citi- group consists of the tax payers who live there might be 490 billion in total. Those zens will let themselves be fooled. Unfor- in the countries which are still financial- are loans and haircuts which have already tunately the reality is quite different from ly healthy. And as the debtor cannot pay been granted. The whole thing just goes what we are being led to believe. The cri- back anything to the creditor, they seek on and on. My impression is that there is sis is not at all solved, Germany is losing the assistance of the tax payer. The lat- hardly any difference whether you name financial claims and fortunes in gigantic ter has to pay back instead of the debtor them credits or whether you are talking dimensions. We have built up fortunes in order to allow the creditor to buzz off. about presents right at the outset. We are abroad due to our export surplus: Now Well, we are the creditors, for one part, in the political process of gradually insidi- we are at a stage where these claims are by way of our banks and our life insur- ously transferring loan claims into the cat- being shifted from market economy claims ances, but only for one part. The French egory of presents. This is done by formally into mere balance demands addressed to banks are the principal creditors of maintaining the claims but by simultane- the Central European Bank, claims result- Southern Europe, and besides investors ously saying we will lower the interests ing from public financial aid packages and from all over the world, of course: Amer- down to zero. Now we have renounced these claims are being devaluated step by ican pension funds, there are Chinese in- any interests for the sums which Greece step afterwards. The way to do this is by volved, whoever else. By doing these big has received out of the EFSF, for the last diminishing the interests for them to be rescue actions, we allow the creditors all 15 years. Those are already 2 billion a year, paid which were originally agreed upon. over the world to get out of the affair and 30 billion in total. That is quite an And in the end a major part of our for- and to save their fortunes, and we and enormous sum that is being heaped up. If tunes abroad will have gone, let us not be our children will become the creditors of you have a claim towards a debtor, let us fooled about that. the Southern countries instead. That is say a claim of 100, there will be interests a good thing for all of them, they may on it for a year; if you cut the interests by Deutschlandfunk: Who will actually prof- feel calmed down, aren’t they are talking half and if the claim is granted for eterni- it from this aid package that shall be de- about that: the financial markets have ty, it means that the claim is worth only cided tomorrow? been calmed down? But I believe that half. If you cut the claim by half at once, it Hans-Werner Sinn: Well, primarily it is this process gives everybody cause to be will be the same in substance, but you will the investors who will profit from it. You very alarmed. have to integrate it into your budget. And have to consider: Three groups are play- Source: Deutschlandfunk, 29.11.2012 if you cut the interests by half, you can ex- ers here: First the international creditors tend the process with time, and the future who lent money to the Southern coun- (Translation Current Concerns)

An incriminating report about the lack of adequate austerity measures in Brussels by Emmanuel Garessus Last week the European Court, the guard- tially effective to ensure the legality and be used as permanent pastureland, was ian of financial interests of EU citizens, regularity of the transactions and their un- “entirely or partly covered with dense for- published the Report 2011. In it he de- derlying events. The areas of agricultur- est, or was unsuitable for other reasons.” clared that the payments were “marked al policy: market support and direct pay- The error rate is “significant” in the with errors to a considerable extent “. By ments, rural development, environment, area of agricultural policy (2.9%), the the way, for the 18th time in series the au- fisheries and health, regional policy, ener- largest item in the EU budget. The Com- ditors refused to sign it. gy and transport, employment and social mission argues that the error rate “remains The media has hardly taken any notice affairs, as well as research and other inter- within the normal range of statistical fluc- of the report. It was pointed to by the new nal policy areas are marked with errors to tuations and no aggravation is detect- think-tank Open Europe, Berlin, an insti- a significant extent “. ed.” The reader may decide. The auditors tution on whose advisory board we find The British reaction was not long in noted, for example, an aid request for ani- the Swiss Charles Blankart and Prince coming. The government has warned that mals that do not exist. A farmer received a Michael of Liechtenstein. such auditing will cause that “the credi- special allowance for 150 sheep, the payee It is worth taking a closer look at the bility of the financial management of the does not own a single of these animals. conclusions of the audit office: 3.9% error EU will raise serious questions.” It is a Every criticism is commented by the rate for a budget of 127 billion euro. This fact that this independent European Court Commission. It explains that it is “aware equals 5.95 billion Swiss francs. It’s not has established that the controls over 86% of the problems” and is trying to find a just the sum that is scary, the error rate has of the budget was only “partially effec- remedy together with the respective mem- increased by more than 2% compared to tive”. Its president, Vitor Caldeira, com- ber states. In some cases it gets down to 2010 (3.7%). The Commission is fully sat- plained that he has found too many cases, action and reclaims undue payments. isfied that the error amount is only $ 5 bil- in which” the money has not met its desti- The areas rural development, environ- lion and passes the responsibility on to the nation or only with partial success.” ment, health and fishing are for their part national parliaments. In Brussels’ jargon it In this context it is necessary to pay affected by faulty transactions by 57%. is a lack of a “substantial mistake” if the more attention to this crushing report. The error rate comes to 7,7% here. The error rate is less than 2%. For example the Audit Court cited two Commission “takes note” and admits the The auditors explain that “the checked of such incorrect cases in Lombardy and aggravation. The auditors noted ten cases control and monitoring systems are par- in Galicia. Estate which was intended to continued on page 10 No 51 10 December 2012 Current Concerns Page 10 “The euro will blow up Europe” Interview with Stephan Werhahn, top candidate of the “Free Voters” in the German “Bundestag” elections 2013 km. In Germany, things are beginning to ciple of Maastricht was broken for the first 190 billion without the consent of the “Bun- move in regard to the EU-and euro-debate. time, the principle saying that no coun- destag”. With the ECB’s policy, as well as On 24 November, coming year’s top can- try should be liable for the debt of anoth- with Germany’s target balances of more didate of the “Free Voters” for the Bun- er member state. The temporary bailout than 700 billion at the ECB the amount of destag elections, Stephan Werhahn, has package EFSF with 480 billion represent- rescue financing is actually veiled. explained in an interview for the “Frank- ed the next breach of this principle. The furter Allgemeine Zeitung” why he criti- ESM now means a liability worth 700 bil- Many financial experts warn that major cizes the euro policy. Werhahn is a grand- lion euro, of which 500 billion can be lent turbulence would break out if the funding son of Konrad Adenauer, was a member out. The sum should be levered yet so the of the rescue package were stopped. of the CDU for many years and has now liability risks for Germany and the Ger- I think this is exaggeration and pure bank quit the party. Werhahn says that the pre- man taxpayer will be even bigger. lobbying. Of course many privates as well vious euro-policy has burdened the tax- as public investors would have to accept payers with more and more liability risks, But the Federal Government stresses that losses then. Unfortunately there are still while this policy has actually never been there is support only in exchange of strict no regulated procedures for a state insol- “without alternative”. It need not be that reform conditions. vency, which is a problem. But Greece only the banks benefit. He also says: “The Well, the question is whether that will and possibly even Spain are bankrupt. euro blows Europe up, rather than merge work. The EU Commissioners and crack- You cannot restore their competitiveness it.” And he demands fair referendums on down Europeans are trying by force to within the euro. The next aid installment fundamental European policy decisions. turn those southern European countries of 31 billion euro to Greece and the whole into something that they aren’t. Greece second package will not be enough, even “Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung”: Mr fails in the Monetary Union. It is current- more billions would have to flow to keep Werhahn, your grandfather Konrad Ade- ly not competitive. Now unrest is devel- this country in the euro by force. nauer wanted the European integration. oping in Europe – in the North, where the You present yourself now as euro-skep- citizens do not want to pay into a bottom- What is your alternative? tic. Why? less pit, as well as in the South of Europe, It would be better, the EU would perform Stephan Werhahn: We are not euro-skep- where citizens suffer under the enforced an orderly insolvency of these states. Next tics, but we are euro-realists. This is an savings and say, that in reality only the the EU with a kind of Marshall Plan for important difference. There are better al- rich tax evaders and investors, that bought distressed countries could finance a new ternatives to the bailout policy of Chancel- government bonds, will be saved. start, and give them assistance to mod- lor Merkel, in order to not only benefit the ernize and streamline administration. The banks but to protect the taxpayers. Such so- The Federal Constitutional Court in its devaluation of their currency would help lutions have been suggested by renowned judgment on the ESM has built two pro- them to increase exports and reduce im- scientists [...] The “Free Voters” see the so- tections for Germany: Liability must not ports. We do not say that these member called euro-bailout at any price very criti- unlimited be, and the "Bundestag" must states should stay out of the euro forever, cally. agree before a billion loan. Is this not they may come back later. But if it is not enough for you? possible to make these states competitive But you are too late with your protest. The But the limitation of liability is undermined again, then they are not suitable for the permanent crisis fund European Stability by the ECB President Mario Draghi. He Monetary Union. It means that the euro is Mechanism (ESM) is resolved. The Fed- announced that he could buy unlimited blowing Europe up rather than merging it. eral Government and the financial mar- bonds if crisis countries will comply with kets are praising it as an important tool the requirements of the ESM screen. If he For many European politicians, the euro to calm the crisis. Why are you worried? buys bonds, Germany is liable to its 27 per- is more than just a currency, but also a Ultimately the ESM is a permanent aid for cent share of the ECB for the default risk. symbol of unity and peace. non-performing member states. With the Thus, the liability limit that is called for by first aid for Greece in May 2010 the prin- the Constitutional Court will open up to continued on page 11

”An incriminating report …” of the exorbitant price, the cost was more crease of 11% for their own expenses from continued from page 9 than two times higher than the estimated 2014 to 2020. budget. There were negotiations. Finally, In fact, the debate on the budget is where farmers ignored the legal environ- the deal was accepted at a discount of only blocked, and the period in which you mental obligations in the agricultural sec- 1% of the initial offer. could hope for a long-term reform of the tor. It also happens that the cashier him- In the area “Employment and Social budget will be over soon. A working paper self is the payee of European grants of a Affairs” finally 40% of the payments were by Open Europe Berlin, endeavoring to re- total amount of 5 million euro. In Italy, a faulty. The auditors give an example of the form the process, has developed an alter- construction project for a fruit processing overestimation of personnel costs. Thus an native with which a cost reduction by one- building had “the essential characteristics association for the support of SME (Small third would be possible. But the status quo of a private residence and not of an agri- and medium enterprises) was granted an is likely. The budget (about 1% of the as- cultural building”. income support, although not a single doc- sets of the EU) does not strive for an eco- The offers of the public procurement ument could be presented, verifying that nomic optimum, but a balance between department are quite often incorrect. For they had spent any time on the project. the particular interests of any government. a project for processing and waste dis- The issue would be worth to be broad- In addition, each member state may use its posal of sludge there was only one offer casted loudly. The EU Commission and veto. • was asked for. The receiver of this facil- the EU Parliament endorse cost-cutting Source: Le Temps, 14 November 2012 ity assessed it to be unacceptable because measures, however, they request, an in- (Translation Current Concerns) No 51 10 December 2012 Current Concerns Page 11

The 2012 peace price is unlawful and cannot be paid to the EU Letter to the Nobel Foundation in Stockholm, Sweden, of 28 November 2012, with a copy to the Swedish Foundation Authority

The European Union, announced by the that is not in accordance with the law. The and mentioned in comments following the Norwegian Nobel Committee as the win- choice of the EU for the 2012 prize fails announcement and we implore the Foun- ner of the peace prize for 2012, clearly is on at least two counts: dation to act in defense of the Nobel Peace not one of “the champions of peace” Alfred 1. the EU is not seeking to realize Nobel’s Prize and its creator Alfred Nobel. Loyal Nobel had in mind when he described the demilitarized global peace order, promotion of Nobel’s global peace order is purpose in his will. We ask the Board of 2. the EU and member states condone se- the committee’s main obligation. the Foundation to clarify that it cannot curity based on military force and wag- Even accepting some flexibility with and will not pay the prize from its funds. ing wars rather than insisting on the technical rules, the 2012 prize for the EU We would like to remind you of the de- need for an alternative approach. is particularly problematic in relation to cision of the Swedish Foundations Au- Nobel language on “the last expired year” thority (Länsstyrelsen) on 21 March 2012, The purpose of the peace prize is clarified and that the winner should be a “person.” requesting the Board to examine the pur- by recent research. In 2008 Fredrik S. Hef- We would appreciate an urgent clarifi- pose Nobel described in his will, underlin- fermehl, a Norwegian lawyer and author and cation from the Foundation. ing that all prizes must comply, and clar- a former IPB Vice President, published the ifying that the Swedish Foundations Act first known legal study of the prize and its Sincerely, places the supreme authority and responsi- purpose. In 2010 he published “The Nobel Mairead Maguire, Nobel laureate, bility also for the Norwegian decisions in Peace Prize”. What Nobel Really Wanted Northern Ireland, the Board of the Nobel Foundation. (Praeger, 2010) with later updates in Chi- Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Nobel laure- nese, Finnish, and Swedish (Leopard, 2011). ate, South Africa Unauthorized transformation The case for declaring the 2012 prize un- Adolfo Perez Esquivel, Nobel laureate, of Nobel’s purpose lawful further rests on facts widely known Argentina Instead of an unspecified prize for “peace,” Alfred Nobel in his 1895 testament explained Three Nobel laureates protest Co-signed by the following in their per- in precise terms the champions of peace 2012 peace prize for the EU sonal capacities (“fredsförfäktare”) whose work he wished (organizational affiliation only for identi- to benefit. Nobel intended to support the po- Three Nobel peace laureates Wednes- fication and relevance) litical work for a demilitarized global peace day demanded that the Stockholm- Bruce Kent, former president of the Inter- order (“folkens förbrödrande”), based on co- based Nobel Foundation revoke the national Peace Bureau, IPB (UK) operation, law and disarmament. 2012 peace award to the European Robert Hinde, professor, Movement for Union. The three, Mairead Maguire, The Norwegian Nobel Committee has Desmond Tutu, and Adolfo Peres Es- the Abolition of War (UK) redefined and reshaped the prize in a way quivel, joined by seven co-signers, in a Peter Kolbe, Board Member, UNA Branch letter claimed that Nobel intended to of Baden Württemberg (Germany) ”‘The euro will blow up …’” support those working for a demil- David Swanson, author, warisacrime.org continued from page 10 itarized global peace order based on (USA) co-operation, law and disarmament, Tomas Magnusson, Co-president, Interna- We, the “Free Voters” are opposed to exag- and this global peace ambition is not tional Peace Bureau (Sweden) gerating the euro at a romantic symbol. If at all a stated purpose of the EU. “The Ståle Eskeland, professor of law, Univer- the euro turns mellow, we have to lose a lot. union is building military strength sity of Oslo, Norway rather than the alternative approach,” the three laureates noted in their let- Fredrik S. Heffermehl, lawyer and author Can one have a referendum about com- ter, which was co-signed by a.o. Bruce (The Nobel Peace Prize), Norway plicated issues like the euro bailout? The Kent, a past president of the Interna- Nobel laureates demand 2012: c/o Peter Kolbe, opponents of direct democracy say this tional Peace Bureau, the 1910 peace Werderstr. 36, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany, would mean an over-simplification. laureate which last week asked the [email protected] Of course before such a vote there must be Swedish authorities for an injunction November 28, 2012 a fair discussion, and the question may not to bar payment of the EU prize. The Nobel Foundation P.O. Box 5232, SE-102 45 be posed in a manipulative manner. Basi- The problem is that the awarders Stockholm, Sweden cally, I believe that the population is clev- have lost focus, today we have a prize cc.: The Foundations Authority, Stockholm Coun- er enough to decide on important issues, for “peace” in general, says IPB co- ty (Länsstyrelsen) president Tomas Magnusson, who re- whether on a large infrastructure project or grets that the Norwegian Parliament on the currency. A referendum forces pol- appoints committees that dislike No- itics to clearly work out the alternatives. bel’s idea and neglect his purpose. And it achieves that the population is in- Based on an unauthorized redefinition formed. There is currently much resigna- of the prize the committee is using en- tion among the citizens, because they find trusted funds to benefit its own politi- the problems in Europe too complex, be- cal agendas. According to Magnusson cause the sums are so large and because this never was clearer than in 2012 and, they are not consulted. Therefore crucial he says people everywhere, in all parts of the world, having been deprived of democratic legitimacy is definitely lacking a great gift to protect their survival in Europe. • and prosperity, have reason to be very Source: Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung from angry. 24 November 2012, © All rights reserved Frank- furter Allgemeine Zeitung GmbH, Frankfurt. Source: United Nations Association Ger- Provided by the Frankfurter Allgemeine Archiv. many, Branch of Baden-Wuerttemberg, Press release, 29 November 2012 (Translation Current Concerns) No 51 10 December 2012 Current Concerns Page 12

People are told to shut up about IMF billions IMF loans are not subject to the referen- (“Schweizerische Volkspartei”) was in the national currencies, the crisis will pro- dum. This was recently decided by the minority, when it spoke out clearly against gressively worsen. You can not assemble National Political Commission of the Na- further IMF disbursements. The center-left totally different countries like Greece and tional Council. This means for us citizens: majority in parliament continues to carry Germany under one currency. This is eco- we have to pay billions for the euro mess things to the extreme. nomic nonsense. However, not before the abroad and we can’t even fight it. The peo- With additional IMF loans Swiss politi- violent demonstrations of the South ex- ple is levered out once more and fleeced cians make their contributions to the con- tend to the whole EU will our politicians – the citizens are forbidden to give their tinuation of the European debt malaise take notice of these facts. views on this billion dollar loan. And then and to the economic environment around they tell us again, we would have to save at us drowning in misery, because the nec- Olivier Kessler home or raise taxes. Once again The SVP essary reforms are not tackled. Without (Translation Current Concerns) “Give young people the chance to learn to cultivate the soil again” Patoinos – a project to restart agriculture Interview with Joseph Zisyadis cc. Greece is not (yet) allowed to quit the euro; the crisis needs to be conserved. This is the only way to keep up the mad- ness of “emergency credits” and the aus- terity measures at the expense of the Greek people connected with them – in order to allow the risk adventurers of the large global banks and the arms indus- tries in the US, Germany and France (see Current Concerns, No 47, 13.11.2012) to extract money from the euro countries into their own pockets. The tax payers in the euro countries which the ESM is now compelling to pay billions will get the in- voice later: by higher taxes, pensions re- duced to almost nothing and decreased social-welfare benefits. But, of course, all this only after the next elections … While the governments are obviously unable – or have chosen to be so – to find real so- lutions, citizens are setting out to do what is answering to common sense and the First official planting with the monks of St. John monastary (picture jz) common good, using the means at their disposal: They do not rely on foreign in- time. I spend every summer in Patmos. activities anymore; there is no cultivation vestors, “global markets” or ever increas- First we went there for family vacations. of vegetables and fruits, nothing. There ing streams of tourists but mainly on their Later, when I stopped going to the beach, are two families who have a few toma- own forces, their local settings, combin- I was surprised to discover this island: a to plants, some eggplants. That is all. But ing their tradition and experience with the very beautiful island, which however has you can buy tomatoes from Holland and knowledge available today and the pos- completely given up its agriculture. Why? lemons from Argentine. Fifty years ago, sibilities to develop a regional economy Simply because tourism has completely Patmos was a self-sufficient island; it has providing a livelihood and a perspective changed the island. But it is easy to see all been given up. Many people have emi- for the people living there. Joseph Zisy- that the entire island was cultivated until grated to Australia or the US. Now it is an adis, retired member of the Swiss Nation- 50 years ago. Every small space was cul- island of 3,000 inhabitants. al Council with Greek roots, has initiat- tivated; there are small walls everywhere Now – slowly, step by step, the Patoi- ed such a project on the island of Patmos. albeit without any plants today. So it was nos Project was started. At first, nobody It might become popular – not only in clear for me that I would start a project in wanted to lease land to me. This is dif- Greece. order to restart agriculture there. That was ficult in Greece. The people keep their 15 years ago. land, like everywhere. There are no big Current Concerns: You said that you have It took me a lot of time to find a piece landowners. From time to time they sell been concerned about the fate of Patmos of land because nobody wanted to lease a piece of land if they need money to pay for 25 years. What do you mean by that? anything to me. The people there are rent- for their children’s education or for a wed- I am Greek and Swiss. But I was born in ing out rooms. That is what they do. They ding. They are not used to leasing; they are Istanbul and I do not have any relatives in are renting out rooms from March, April even afraid of it. Often they agree first but Greece. 25 years ago I went to Patmos for through October. Then they stay at home, a vacation. And I stayed there for some watch TV, drink … There are no typical continued on page 13 No 51 10 December 2012 Current Concerns Page 13 Greece – Patoinos project as a way out of the crisis Reflecting on original strengths, reviving the development of local agricultural and developing a compatible agrotourism by Joseph Zisyadis hhg. Anyone who traveled to Greece in the seventies was impressed by the hospital- ity and the richness of local agricultural products and crafts, providing livelihood, if often only modest, for the population. Thus, on Patmos, the northernmost island of the Dodecanese in the Aegean Sea, in- numerable varieties of wine were cultivat- ed on terraces, the wines being very popu- lar in Egypt. By turning to mass tourism, agriculture and viticulture were virtu- ally abandoned. With the project Patoi- nos, Josef Zisyadis, Greek and Swiss cit- izen, theologian and former National Councillor, starts out from these origi- nal strengths of the island of Patmos. To- gether with four winegrowers from the Vaud he has leased the “Domaine de l’Apocalypse” from the local monastery. There 2,000 vines are planted and a wine- Newly planted vines next to the future Patoinos House. (picture jz) grower’s school is established. Due to an on Patmos can be utilized again. In addi- a seed bank in order to make them gratui- olive press from Tuscany the olive trees tion, local seeds are carefully collected in continued on page 14

”‘Give young people the chance …’” We will do this locally, too. We have a started without money; I am not wealthy. continued from page 12 good cooperation with a local ecological So far we have sold 150 vines. We are or- group that has already collected 800 dif- ganizing support events. In short: it is our only to think later: well, and in ten years ferent seed types: tomatoes, egg plants, objective to sell 2,000 vines. With 2,000 we will not be able to get rid of him. Even- cucumber etc. So we will provide a free vines we can open our winery and the tually I asked in the monastery of St. John seed bank. One year you can get the whole thing will support itself. in Patmos. It also took them a lot of time seeds; the next year you return them. So – ten years! – to decide. But now they are they will continue to live. Now all seeds Mr Zisyadis, thank you very much for the happy with their decision. are imported from Holland. These are all interview. • seeds whose cultivar is not defined; all of Have the works for the Patoinos Project them are hybrids. The ones we have found This vine is waiting for you … already started? on the islands around Patmos are old cul- Last year we planted half the vines. You tivars which have been conserved. This is You can support the Patoinos Project: know, it is a small project only. You do not also an interesting part of the project. Sponsor one or more vines at the vine- need much wine for the island. And, by yard for 250 Swiss Francs or 200 euro. the way, it is not only about wine; there is This is helping food sovereignty; this is In return you will get between 2016 and 2025 a few bottles of delicious also olive oil. And there will also be toma- a way to prevent the dependence from wine every year. toes and figs. In short, it is a comprehensive the big companies and the multination- E-mail: [email protected] agro-ecological project which will turn Pat- als. mos into an island with a productive agri- Yes, exactly. One further aspect is the culture again. Young people will have the school for viticulture. We hear a lot about chance to learn to cultivate the soil again. organic viticulture, it is one special meth- od of viticulture. So I want to try to make So it is really an alternative model to glo- Patmos the first organic island of Greece. balization. I do not think it will be so difficult be- In one month I will go there to install cause there is only us and the two fami- an old press which we will use to pro- lies who grow vegetables. If I succeed in duce olive oil. There are some 1,500 olive convincing them we will be the first or- trees on the island. The olives have not ganic island in entire Greece. This is im- been harvested for many years because portant for our image. Of course it also there is no machinery to produce oil from means work and it will take some time. them. So we will start it again. We will In the vineyard we have started to work invite the people to produce their own oil. with stinging nettle. The people found The press will be there. I have found four this funny. But now they are also starting sponsors: 20,000 euro to buy this press – it. It will come – very slowly. The project that is not expensive. has created a lot of enthusiasm all over Greece. Just because it is an interesting And to bottle the oil? project for a different future. And I have No 51 10 December 2012 Current Concerns Page 14

”Greece – Patainos project …” 3,000 bottles of red wine. The focus is on foreign students the opportunity to deal continued from page 13 the development of a modern winery, al- with specifics of an insular culture of wine lowing to produce products of high quality. and to benefit from certain “know-how” tously available to the inhabitants of Pat- The winery will comprise spaces for when back on Patmos. Contacts have al- mos and of other islands. Embedded in the grape harvest, storage sites, equipment ready been taken with the Wine School this context, a compatible agrotourism is rooms, offices, a tasting room, a reception Changins (Vaud) in Switzerland, which has planned. A fruitful Greek-Swiss develop- area for visitors and customers, a museum agreed to open its doors for young Greeks ment cooperation has successfully started for popular traditions and an olive press. for training and educational purposes. with the project Patoinos. The architecture will be based on the cen- Furthermore, a group of winemakers turies-old traditions of the island, so that from the canton of Vaud (Switzerland) The project for the development and rec- the whole thing will perfectly blend in will ensure the winemaking and viticul- reating of wine-growing on Patmos is re- with the surrounding landscape. ture technical supervision of the project. alized in accordance with the renewal of Greek viticulture. Greece, possessing hun- The agro-ecological project A comprehensive dreds of varieties of wine unknown in Patoinos in Petra agro-ecological project Western Europe, started to modernize its The selected area is in the south of the is- Last part of this local project: We think wine production 20 years ago. In this con- land in Petra, a valley that is green almost that offering a wine cellar tour to tourists text, small manors developed, run by wine- all year round and that is on the edge of a will constitute a further element of the growers and producers who attach great im- rather open bay, which continues via the spell of Patmos. In addition, there will portance to preserving national viticulture. rock formation of Kalikatsou. This well be a possibility to organize wine festi- This development towards a better quali- reasoned decision will make it possible vals and hence initiate cultural activi- ty follows that of other southern European to give the wine a positive brand image. ties where ancient traditions can be re- countries. But the Greek viticulture is likely The winery, where visitors are received, vived. The disappearance of agriculture to be noticeable in the next few years other will also be an important place for ex- on these islands was an important rea- than through standardized wines from the change. The whole property of this agro- son for the impoverishment of the popu- major international wineries. Respect for ecological project measures about 3 ha. It lation, the destruction of their roots and and preservation of legendary wines will is leased by the monastery “Saint-Jean-le- traditions, and for the slow desertion of be its main asset for the future. Théologien” and simultaneously support- these lands. ed by the head Igoumène Antipas. It is also intended to furnish a small 20 “stremes” of cellar for wine tasting in order to adver- biodynamic wine-growing Quality wines, tise for the wines of the winery as well as The central part of our project is to primarily for local consumption the variety of Greek wines from North and re-establish a vineyard. This is what The oenological part will rely on the good South. This tasting will be accompanied we are planning on an area of 2 ha or knowledge of wine production and not on by local products (cheese, bread, vegeta- 20 “stremes” (traditional Greek square an excess of technology. It is based on the bles), which, after years of slumber, will measure). We will lease land from various simplicity and quality of the fermenting be brought back to life. owners. The vineyard will be composed room. It is intended to condition the base- There is also an olive oil press to be set 2 1 of /3 white and /3 red grapes. ment; in addition, we intend to develop up again. Only this will allow the island’s They will all be domestic grape varieties, and utilize renewable energy (solar and population to resume the harvesting of ol- with a greater proportion of white Assyrtiko wind energy). The basement should also ives and the production of local oil for in- grapes. What we want is to care for the old be designed so large that, later, it could dividual needs or the needs of restaurants, traditions of the island, and to endeavor to also accept grapes from other wine re- which will also enhance the lands around create wines with a regional character by gions on the island or from neighbor- Petra, with its many olive trees. using various ancient types of grapes. ing islands, so as to be able to increase At the same time a museum about the The viticulture that we are going to de- the quantity of wine. This cellar will also popular traditions associated with the velop will be of organic quality, and there- have reception rooms for local customers vineyard will give visitors the chance to fore very environmentally friendly. and for tourist group visits. get to know the past reality on the basis of Only a slight mechanization will be rediscovered tools and contemporary pho- used, as we know it from European hill- Simple work structures tographs. side growing areas. This will also facili- The staff will consist of a director, an oe- The cellars will be used as a meet- tate the employment of local workers with nologist – who will also take care of the ing place by various environmental and their mules and allow implementing a vit- work in the vineyard – and a viticulture agricultural associations and by the iculture concept adapted to the island as worker. Depending on the season, addi- population. A seed bank will also be well as possible. tional labor will be essential. established for the preservation and re- The yield of this land area should allow cultivation of varieties of original fruit an annual production of about 10,000 bot- International cooperation and vegetables. • tles according to European standards (75 In this project, cooperation with a Swiss cl), i.e. 7,000 bottles of white wine and wine school is planned. This would give (Translation Current Concerns) No 51 10 December 2012 Current Concerns Page 15

Austria The conscription model is modern and forward-oriented Dr Eduard Paulus, President of the Austrian Officers’ Association *

in Central Europe are Norway, Finland two years ago that a professional army and Switzerland. In the Federal Repub- in Austria requires a minimum annual lic of Germany and in Sweden follow- budget of 2.6 billion euro. In this context ing the abolition of conscription, the sit- it is interesting that even the Chairman uation has unfortunately become very of the Federal Army Reform Committee, critical. Democratically-minded EU cit- ret. Mayor Dr Helmut Zilk, had demand- izens should consider it a problem if in ed 1 percent of gross domestic product the near future only Russia, India, China for the military budget. That would at and Turkey are the countries with com- that time have been around 2.8 billion pulsory military service. euro. In the office of Federal Minister Darabos it was insisted that the numbers NATO membership is not be reduced to the then funding level of an option for the population 2.2 billion euro. However at present, fol- The Austrian Officers’ Society sees po- lowing the savings welcomed by Minis- litical, constitutional, military-poli- ter Darabos, there is an annual budget of Dr Eduard Paulus, President cy and moral arguments for the main- just over 1.8 billion euro, including more of the Austrian Officers’ tenance of compulsory military service than 1.2 billion euro in personnel costs. Association (picture ma) in Austria. Our Federal Constitution A professional army with this budget is still provides for conscription accord- small enough to fit into a maximum of The Austrian Army has thousands of ing to the principles of a militia system three sectors of a football stadium and professionals. The only thing that is as part of a comprehensive national de- can only be used for smaller deployments not professional is the current political fence. A constitutional majority to revise abroad. leadership of this army. Federal Minis- this legislation is not in sight. In addi- ter of Defence Norbert Darabos hoped tion, there is the Federal Constitutional Professional army for politically until recently to go down in history as Act of 1955 on the permanent neutral- motivated “robust” foreign missions a “180°-turn-coat minister”. He turned ity of Austria. This law is not only con- In the current pilot test of the Minister away from the conscription he described stitutional law, but, having been notified 115 militiamen in two pioneer battalions as “carved in stone” and confessed his to almost every country in the world, has still serving under universal conscrip- advocacy of a professional army. Now long been an international treaty under tion are suddenly to be given an addi- he wants to continue as Minister of De- international law. A change in this con- tional 5,000 euro bonus per year if they fence, even if the vote of the referendum stitutional and international legal situa- train every year instead of every two on 20 January 2013 comes out in favour tion is not in sight. This requires, how- years. This is grotesque. Everyone takes of conscription. This would finally make ever, compliance with the international leave for this additional money if neces- him a “360°-turn minister”. Such a dan- legal obligations of a neutral country, sary and completes his training obliga- gerous manoeuvre that would break even namely the non-aligned status and ad- tions ahead of schedule. This pilot trial an owl’s neck is obviously no problem to equate defence efforts of our own. The cannot say anything about whether, in a an Austrian minister. alternative of joining NATO after aban- future without conscription, 9,500 new doning neutrality, is an option that is re- regular soldiers with sufficient qualifi- Conscription system with militia jected by the great majority of the Aus- cations would respond. These regular Now to the facts of the forthcoming ref- trian population. soldiers will definitely be much more erendum. The Austrian Officer’s Society The constitutional core tasks of na- expensive than conscripts with their al- has long called for a reform of the Aus- tional defence, in addition to maintain- lowance of 350 euro per month. Anoth- trian army on the basis of constitution- ing the territorial sovereignty, continue to er important aspect is that in a profes- al principles – the “universal conscrip- include the equally important assistance sional army, all soldiers will be required tion with militia system” for all male in domestic tasks, namely border securi- at any time to go on dangerous missions citizens with the option to render a sub- ty, the protection of critical infrastructure abroad. The career plans of these young stitute civic service. The central core (“property protection”) and a very cen- men, released into civilian life after six of a reform, alongside sufficient fund- tral function in disaster relief. All these years and an unforeseeable number of ing, is primarily the re-introduction of operational tasks that exist not only de combat missions abroad, remain unclear. full-field exercises for some of the con- jure but also de facto require, when im- For this reason, the educational level of scripts even after completion of mili- plemented, very high levels of manpower the regular soldier is decreasing drasti- tary service. The models for success- that will be never reached in Austria with cally in all professional armies. The po- ful armies with general conscription a professional army. It may be recalled litical aim of saving 8.5 billion euro per that in 2011 the Swiss Army in training year in the German Army and of select-

* Dr Eduard Paulus is head of the Department of needed nearly 7,000 troops alone to se- ing thousands from 45,000 prospective Finance and Asset Management in the Salzburg Provincial Government. He is information of- cure Zurich-Kloten airport. soldiers has failed miserably. Current- ficer in the Austrian army, founding member of ly in Germany up to 3 billion euro are the Militia Association Austria and President of Minister’s financing plan unrealistic being additionally spent on advertising the Austrian Officers’ Association. Moreover, he Now for the military-policy arguments in for volunteers. publishes on constitutional and administrative procedural law on a regular basis and has been favour of retaining conscription: Serious awarded the Grand Decoration of Honor for Ser- and in my view very conservative cal- vices to the Republic of Austria. culations by the General Staff revealed continued on page 16 No 51 10 December 2012 Current Concerns Page 16

”The conscription model …‘” force, Hungary could no longer mobi- conscription, and he added that the princi- continued from page 15 lize an Army contingent during the last ple of the volunteer army has badly dam- sludge disaster. aged the rule of law. Also, Barack Oba- At the same time, in Germany there ma’s first Secretary of Defense, Robert are now only 33,000 volunteers in fed- Back to mercenaries – back to the Gates, has expressed himself quite criti- eral community service instead of the time before the Enlightenment? cally on the development of recruitment of previous 99,000 civil servants. In Bavar- The core tasks of the armed forces are soldiers in the US Regular Army. Former ia, with a traditionally good labor mar- still at home and require high man forc- Chancellors Helmut Schmidt and Helmut ket and good opportunities in civil em- es which cannot be attained without con- Kohl have also highlighted the problems ployment, the recruitment problems for scription. The previously well-respected of professional armies for democracy. the “Bundeswehr” are particularly se- services of Austrian soldiers abroad have Waging war becomes easier for politicians vere. In Sweden, 100 military doctors been provided in many instances by more if they do not have to consider the popula- sue the army, because they do not accept than 50% militia. Currently, the average tion’s will, especially if they do not need that they should serve, when all the oth- education level of Austrian soldiers is to recruit volunteers. ers are not even called for basic military much higher in comparison to many other service. In Austria as well, it is complete- armies. In Austria academics of all disci- Decision for Austria – ly unreasonable that after the introduc- plines, craftsmen, journeymen and mas- decision for military service! tion of a professional army, the former ters of all disciplines together with com- In a small country like Austria, only con- professional and militia soldiers should mercial professionals contribute their scription ensures that all domestic tasks are suddenly have obligations to serve in for- know-how and skills as a positive asset met. This is especially true in the area of​​ eign countries. It is completely unthinka- to the army. This social stratification im- security assistance services such as bor- ble that former militia soldiers, who have mediately changes in a professional army. der security, object protection, protection volunteered during the compulsory mili- The benefits of social learning during the of critical infrastructure, security meas- tary service, remain subject to continued compulsory military service, the chance ures to address loss of electricity, gas and exercise and service. to meet with all different occupation- water, etc. The most cost effective solution al groups and to establish a network for to these problems is to train soldiers brief- Professional armies lifetime is lost. That the military service ly and to reconvene them in case of inci- with poorly educated young people is currently organized with a lot of badly dents, instead of keeping expensive pro- Federal Minister Darabos repeatedly timed service calls for many, is not a fault fessional soldiers constantly under service, mentioned Western world professional ar- of the conscripts, but a fault of a policy although critical incidents are very infre- mies as a shining example. But they have that is only interested in superficial show- quent. With the introduction of a profes- regular soldiers signed up for a fixed pe- manship. sional army, about 14,000 – for the most riod of time which are to a very large ex- Moral arguments are out of fashion, the part highly motivated young civil servants tend young men with poor-to-no educa- more necessary it is, however, to let mo- – would be lost. Social solidarity would be tion. In addition, many of them have a rale not completely off the table: For cen- severely damaged. A professional army is criminal record. This is not only an un- turies since the late Middle Ages, through expensive and politically problematic, it fair exploitation of disadvantaged young the 30 Years‘ War to the French Revo- mainly serves the interests of those elites men, but it is also a moral indictment and lution mercenaries were used in these who prefer robust deployments to solve po- a latent threat to democracy. The recent wars. The German National Assembly in litical problems abroad. We all should be study of the German Armed Forces Asso- St. Paul’s Church in Frankfurt am Main aware of the extent to which the more or ciation shows that 75% of its executives in has voted in 1848 against a professional less lost wars in Afghanistan and Iraq have the armed forces do no longer trust the po- army of the princes and in favor of con- harmed the West – especially internation- litical leadership – and if they could make scription. This was done undoubtedly for ally and morally. Therefore, let’s decide on the choice today, they would no longer reasons of morality and justice. 20 January 2013 for a reformed army with enter the army. Many already advise their mandatory military service. • children not to enter army service. Offi- “Volunteer army has damaged cial euphemisms cannot hide these devel- the rule of law in the USA” Source: “Der Offizier”(The officer), No. 3/2012. opments. Bob Herbert wrote in the “New York Zeitschrift der Österreichischen Offiziersgesell- The armies in Belgium, Hungary Times” about two years ago that the Unit- schaft (Journal of the Austrian Officers’ Associa- and Slovenia have become virtually in- ed States would neither stand in Iraq nor tion). www.oeog.at/ow10/der-offizier/ visible. Due to a lack of sufficient man in Afghanistan, if they would still have (Translation Current Concerns)