José Bové made his name as a radical most recently being jailed in France for destroying transgenic crops. He hopes to channel his radicalism in a pragmatic manner to overturn the predominant economic model in Europe to one which is more social, and above

Interview Today: Radicals can be pragmatic if they hope to change the world

José Bové   hello and welcome to EuroparlTV.

and naturally you'll be sitting   with the Greens in the EP.

after sensational actions against   the development of GMO crops.

How will you continue your battle   within the EP?

Firstly, we must celebrate   the fact that in most EU countries

are against the lifting the moratorium   and the safeguard clause.

So we are in a good situation,   but we need to go further.

We have to be vigilant because firms   have asked for new authorisations

A new battle is emerging,   which I'll be keeping an eye on,

since companies are no longer trying to   get GMOs established by transgenesis

but by mutagenesis, plants   which will be resistant to weedkiller.

In the midst of the economic   and environmental crisis

you declared over and over that ecology   is not compatible with capitalism.

How do we find a way out?   -We have to go beyond market logic.

Not everything is for sale,   we've being saying that for 10 years.

Now there are issues like health,   education, community property,

and water all of which must be shared   by everyone.

It's important to say that   earth's resources are limited,

To find solutions it's not always   'more is better',

the productionist logic   of industry and agriculture.

So we need to build another economic   model and model for exchange.

You know that in the EP and the EU   compromises prevail,

I think we'll change it with the force of our   conviction and persuasion.

I hope we'll be able to build majorities.

The most recent example of this by the   Greens was protecting internet users,

so that they wouldn't have their internet   cut by an administrative decision.

Parliament voted on this   in the Telecoms package

That's real evidence of collective   persuasion and conviction.

I thought you were radical   but you've become pragmatic?

I'm still radical but I'm also pragmatic.   It's the only way to progress.

In the battles we led   we could combine radical proposals

with the pragmatism   needed to persuade and to win.

An big issue of the mandature   will be the renegotiation

of the European financial framework   and the CAP reform.

There should be   a Common Agricultural Policy.

I'm against re-nationalising agricultural   policy, we need a European framework.

Production must be controlled   so that farmers can live off their work.

To protect prices,   production has to be managed.

Which committee will you sit on   to deal with all these issues?

I asked for the agriculture and rural   development committee

and, if the group agrees,   for the international trade committee.

It's important to link the construction   of the EU agricultural policy

with other countries,   notably those in the south.

Thank you.   -Thank you, and I hope it will work.