Franz Fischler was Director of the Austrian Chamber of Agriculture from 1985 to 1989 and Federal Minister of Agriculture and Forestry from 1989 to 1994. In this context, he contributed to the preparation of the Austrian agriculture and forestry sector to join the EU and negotiations on the membership treaty. Member of the Austrian National Parliament (Nationalrat) from 1990 to 1994, Franz Fischler was appointed European Commissioner in 1995, responsible for agriculture and rural development until 1999, and, from 1999 to 2004, European Commissioner responsible for agriculture, rural development and fisheries.