Why you should listen
Best recognised for his role as Germany’s former Vice-Chancellor and Foreign Minister, Joschka Fischer has had his fair share of shaping history. During his term with the German federal parliament he was a key support for NATO’s intervention in Kosovo in 1999, followed by its opposition to the war in Iraq.
Joschka’s political galvanization began when he became active in German student movements in Frankfurt. The works of Karl Marx, Mao Zedong, Georg Hegel inspired him to become a member of the left-wing militant group Revolutionärer Kampf (Revolutionary Struggle). He was a leader in several street battles involving the radical Putzgruppe (literally “cleaning squad”).
From taking his political grievances to the streets, he has learned to affect change by being more pragmatic in his approach. He left the militant group to lead Germany’s Green Party. He managed to transform the small movement into an undeniable force in German politics. Responsible for environment and energy, he became the first minister coming from the movement..
From his seat in the Bundestag, Joschka was a political figure known for his candour, often heckling the government with wicked and humorous remarks. Joschka sees himself as the “last Rock’n’Roller of German politics”. His political career was undoubtedly rich in movements that included sudden turns. According to opinion polls, he was the most popular politician in Germany for most of his term in government.
After retiring from active politics, he supported the creation of the Spinelli Group, a “Europarliamentarian” initiative founded with a view to reinvigorate efforts to federalise the European Union. He then founded a political consulting firm under the name Joschka Fischer & Company. He has worked as a consultant for Siemens, BMW, the Rewe Group, for the energy companies RWE and OMV and the hemp producer Tilray.
Hear Joschka speak at Worldwebforum 2020 about what it takes to push for change in the world’s 4th largest government and society.
About Joschka Fischer & Company
Joschka Fischer & Company supports organizations when their activities touch on political and social issues. For companies, being successful in the future means embracing major paradigms such as decarbonisation, digitalisation and globalisation.
It is our mission to support our clients in the event of changes in industries and markets, legislative processes or changing social requirements. The eponym of our company stands for sustainable change.
We help you to take an honest stock, to identify and communicate entrepreneurial interests and to adapt to changing conditions: in Germany, in Europe and – as part of the global network of the Albright Stonebridge Group – worldwide.
Joschka Fischer & Company is made up of people from many different backgrounds. Academically, professionally and culturally. What unites us is a high understanding of politics and social change – based on many years of personal experience and networks in politics, business and society.
Biography
Joschka Fischer is the former Vice Chancellor and Foreign Minister of Germany (1998-2005). He delivered the Green Party to the centre of German politics, leading its first participation in government, both at state level (Hesse) and at federal level.
Fischer’s tenure as Foreign Minister was a significant period in the history of German foreign affairs. He oversaw Germany’s first post WW2 active military mission in the Kosovo War and, the deployment of German troops joining the NATO intervention in Afghanistan. Fischer was a leading voice in his Government’s critical stance on the war in Iraq. In 2003, with the Foreign Ministers of France and the UK (Jack Straw), he led the EU3 negotiations with Iran, regarding its nuclear program.
In 1994, Joschka Fischer entered federal politics and became co-chairman of the Green Party’s federal parliamentary group, prior to joining Schröder’s cabinet in 1998.
After leaving government in 2005, Joschka Fischer was a senior fellow at the Liechtenstein Institute on Self-Determination, and a visiting professor at Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs, at Princeton University. He remains active in international foreign affairs, and since 2008 has been a Senior Strategic Counsel of the Albright Group. He is also a member of the Spinelli Group, serves on the Board of the International Crisis Group and, is co-Chair of the European Council on Foreign Relations.