Brussels, 08/04/2011 (Agence Europe) - On Thursday 7 April, the leaders of European Farmers' Organisation COPA elected Gerd Sonnleitner as the new president for the period 2011-2013. He will succeed Padraig Walshe whose term of office has expired.
Sonnleitner has been the president of Deutscher Bauernverband (DBV) since 1997 and the first vice-president of COPA from 2007 until 2011. He was also the COPA president over the period 2001-2003. He runs a 100 hectare farm and holds a number of other key positions in agricultural organisations, including chairman of the board of directors of Germany's agricultural mortgage bank.
Xavier Beulin (Fnsea, France), John Bryan (IFA, Ireland), Albert Jan Maat (LTO, Netherlands), Juha Marttila (MTK, Finland), Lorenzo Ramos (UPA, Spain) and Wiktor Szmulewicz (KRIR, Poland) were elected as COPA vice-presidents over this period. (L.C./transl.rt)