A convoy of tractors entered the area with EU buildings in Brussels. Police used water cannons and gas against the demonstrators. European farmers poured fertilizer on the streets, set fire to tires and broke through police barricades. Videos of protests in Belgium’s smoky capital are circulating on social media. The demonstration took place during a meeting of EU agriculture ministers.
READ ALSO: Nearly a thousand tractors in the center of Brussels and burning tires in front of the EC headquarters! Another farmers’ protest against EU policy
In Brussels, some farmers clashed with police during a farmers’ protest on Monday. Bottles were about to fly. The police used tear gas against farmers. Farmers set fire to tires in front of police roadblocks near Rondo Schuman, where the EU institutions are headquartered. Police used water cannons to extinguish the flames. Moreover, one of the videos circulating on social media shows manure being dumped on the streets.
Tractors in Brussels
Several hundred tractors entered the European Quarter, some even breaking through the police blockades. One of the police barriers was simply bypassed because the blockade did not include the cycle path and pedestrian path, allowing the tractors to drive towards Rondo Schuman.
Access to the European Council building is temporarily blocked. The police have designated a safety zone.
A delegation of demonstrators will meet with the Minister of Agriculture of Belgium, David Clarinval, and with the Commissioner for Agriculture of the European Union, Janusz Wojciechowski.
Farmers’ claims
Farmer representatives said the unrest was the result of deteriorating conditions caused by falling prices due to cheap imports, burdensome regulations and environmental policies they described as unfair.
As reported by the Belga agency, one of the main demands of agricultural organizations is the withdrawal of the EU from free trade agreements, for example with Mercosur countries, i.e. Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay and Paraguay.
The EU-Mercosur agreement aims to increase the flow of goods between the EU and South American countries. The agreement includes: reducing customs duties and quotas on meat and other agricultural products. According to demonstrators, this agreement will have negative consequences for farmers from Western Europe, because it will create unfair competition for them.
In addition to withdrawing from agricultural trade agreements, farmers – according to Belga – are also demanding fair wages and changes in the EU’s agricultural policy. They protest against the European Commission’s proposals, such as limiting the use of agricultural land in the EU.
This is the second major demonstration by farmers in Brussels in a month. On February 1, more than a thousand tractors paralyzed the capital of Belgium while the EU summit was taking place there.
READ ALSO:
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—The Green Deal is hitting the European economy. Szydło: Europeans will be poorer and agriculture will collapse; farmers’ protests should be supported
PAP/wPolityce.pl/bjg
Source: wPolityce