Farmers Protest in Brussels: EU Agricultural Policy Under Fire

Police estimate that around 900 tractors blocked the European quarter of the Belgian capital. Police used water cannons on protesters, while farmers burned tires and set off firecrackers.

Belgian farmers were joined this time by colleagues from Spain, Portugal and Italy.

Farmers across Europe are not satisfied with the EU agricultural policy, the “green course” and the big bureaucracy. Imports of agricultural products from Ukraine have also caused strong dissatisfaction in many countries, especially in Poland. Farmers’ protests have caused headaches for EU leaders, who fear the far-right could use them to boost their popularity ahead of European Parliament elections.

EU ministers today discussed proposals to simplify the bloc’s common agricultural policy, proposed by the European Commission (EC) last week.

“We need something practical, something operational,” French Agriculture Minister Marc Fenault told reporters after arriving at the meeting. While Feno said it was possible to adapt the current rules, he acknowledged that meeting some of the requirements “will require a change in legislation”.

“It doesn’t matter if it happens before or after the European Parliament elections, the important thing is to move forward,” said the minister.

The EC proposals would ease a number of restrictions on farmers and provide for simplifying administration and changing inspection procedures to reduce the number of visits by inspectors to farms by 50%. Relief is also provided for farmers who do not meet EU requirements due to extreme weather conditions.

In recent weeks, the EC has repeatedly shown concessions to farmers’ demands, but the protests have not subsided, as farmers want more reforms.

2024-02-26 13:39:59
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