FLASH
Shkruar nga Pamfleti
Clashes between farmers and the police are currently happening in Brussels, where today the Ministers of Agriculture of the 27 EU countries and the farmers have gathered.
Around 300 tractors are lined up in the city center and the Rue de la Loi is blocked by farmers.
A month after major demonstrations in Belgium, farmers are calling for their demands to be heard again.
To the sound of music and slogans, farmers erected barricades made of manure and tires. The police tried to block the passage of the farmers with at least three water cannons, but they broke the railings and approached the building where the Ministers of Agriculture will meet.
Police using water cannon to extinguish fires as farmers protest outside a meeting of EU agriculture ministers in Brussels. Tractors line the streets. pic.twitter.com/1rUgAKmpXb
— Rosie Birchard (@RosieBirchard) February 26, 2024
Less than a month after what was described as a "historic" agricultural mobilization in the Belgian capital on February 1, when more than 1,300 tractors filled the streets, today farmers are returning to express their anger at the lack of response from European authorities. .
In a statement, the Federation of Young Farmers expressed regret that "no structural response supported by the federation was placed on the agenda of the Council of Agriculture this Monday".
"Europe must better protect its agriculture, especially in the context of free trade agreements," the federation adds.
"Europe must also have the means to meet its ambitions by providing the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) with a sufficient budget to allow farmers to earn an income for the many efforts they make to protect the environment."
Protesters are already entering the capital, according to Brussels police. Authorities recommended that citizens avoid driving.
As Le Soir reports, today's demonstration includes agricultural unions from Wallonia and Flanders (southern and northern Belgium), as well as farmers from France, Italy, Spain, Germany and Luxembourg.
Protesters are expected to enter the capital at around 9:30 and meet at 11:00 in Schumann Square, outside the EU Council headquarters, where the Ministers of Agriculture will meet.
Among the farmers' main demands, which they say have not yet been heard, are: equal income, the end of free trade agreements and an increase in the Common Agricultural Policy budget.
Lini një Përgjigje