Brussels, Feb 1 (EFE).- The ongoing peasant protests throughout Europe have cast a shadow over the European Union summit, convened to address Hungary’s veto on aid to Ukraine.
The protests seeking relaxation in green rules, protection from rising costs, and cheap imports have also beclouded a free trade agreement between the EU and the Latin American Mercosur bloc.
Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo, holding the EU Council presidency, acknowledged the legitimacy of the farmers’ concerns. “We have to discuss this issue in the EU council,” he said. upon his arrival at the summit.
De Croo stressed the importance of including farmers as partners in the energy transition. “The EU should ensure farmers receive an adequate price for quality products and reasonable administrative control under the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP).”
Hundreds of farmers, protesting declining incomes and various issues such as environmental regulations and free trade agreements, gathered in Brussels mounted on their tractors.
On Wednesday, the European Commission proposed easing the requirement to leave 4 percent of farmland fallow and limiting agricultural imports from Ukraine. The proposal also included extending trade advantages for Ukraine, but with safeguards in case of market disruptions in EU countries.
European Parliament President Roberta Metsola acknowledged the peasant concerns and urged them to express their views at the polls during the EU Parliament elections in June.
“To the farmers outside: we see you and we hear you. If you want your voice to be heard, make it heard also in June, when you vote for the European Parliament elections,” said Metsola.
Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar, arriving at the summit, expressed reservations about the EU-Mercosur agreement.
“(It) cannot be ratified in its current form,” he said, echoing French President Emmanuel Macron’s concerns about imposing environmental regulations on EU farmers while allowing imports from countries without the same requirements.
Varadkar stressed the need to understand the pressures on farmers, including rising fertilizer prices, energy costs, and new environmental regulations. He suggested prioritizing the implementation of existing rules without imposing additional ones for the next two years.
While the European summit primarily focuses on Ukraine aid and the situation in Gaza, President Macron intends to address agricultural policy changes during his stay in Brussels.
The discontent among farmers, intensifying in countries like Germany, France, and Belgium, is not formally expected to be addressed during the summit. EFE
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