About 1,000 tractors made their way to Brussels, and police were forced to use water cannons as farmers pelted eggs and set off fireworks around the European Parliament.
Belgian police reported that farmers blocked roads leading to the European Union summit in Brussels on Thursday using about 1,000 tractors. Angry farmers complain over taxes, rising prices, cheap imports, regulations and bureaucracy. Hoping their protests would finally be heard at the summit, they travelled to Brussels.
Public order police guarded the barriers where EU leaders meet, just a few blocks from the European Parliament building, surrounded by tractors.
Farmers claim their wages are inadequate and that taxes and environmental regulations are stifling them as they face unfair competition from abroad. They are also concerned about “ambitious” targets set by the EU to reduce carbon dioxide emissions, which directly affect the way they can operate.
While the EU summit focused on securing a support package for Ukraine, the meeting of European officials also raised the issue of farmer protests. European Parliament President Roberta Metsola declared:
To the farmers that are outside. We see you and we hear you.
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, who disagrees with other EU leaders on various issues including Ukraine, is also set to meet with farmers.
We need to find new leaders who truly represent the interests of the people.
The pressure has prompted the European Commission to propose restricting agricultural imports from Ukraine and relaxing some environmental regulations on fallow land to appease angry farmers. However, protesters say this is still not enough.
Over the past few weeks, farmers have staged devastating protests in EU member states including France, Belgium, Italy, Portugal, Spain, Germany, Austria, and Bulgaria. Their movement has emerged at a time when the bloc is preparing for the upcoming elections in the summer.
