Thousands of farmers protest in Brussels against EU-Mercosur agreement

(Photo: Pixabay)

According to the report, the agricultural sector, which has been struggling with a continuous crisis for years, is taking action to draw the attention of the European Commission to the difficulties of producers, the regulations restricting agricultural initiatives, its fears about the negative effects of the planned free trade agreement with the European Union and the countries of the South American Common Market (Mercosur) – Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, Uruguay and Venezuela, whose membership has been suspended since 2016 – and to express their concern about the dangers of the planned reduction of the budget for the EU’s common agricultural policy (CAP). Brussels Mobility, the company responsible for Brussels’ transport, announced that several road sections and tunnels are closed due to the demonstration, car traffic is slow and public transport in the Belgian capital is also disrupted. The participants in the demonstration, organized by about forty European agricultural organizations and with the participation of Magosz and the National Chamber of Agriculture, are holding a tractor-drawn procession. The procession is expected to reach the part of the city that houses the EU institutions at around 2 p.m., where the heads of state and government of the member states are holding a summit later in the day. The agenda includes the issue of Europe’s economic security, including the acceleration of the EU’s trade agenda. According to the organizations organizing the demonstration – which expect at least ten thousand farmers to participate during the day – their expectations have not been met for years. The European Commission’s determination to carry out the EU agricultural reform and conclude the free trade agreement regardless is a historic mistake for Europe, for farmers and for consumers alike.

MTI