EU Seeks to Ease Environmental Regulations Amid Farmers' Protests
In an unprecedented move, farmers across the European Union drove their tractors into Brussels, the Belgian capital, on Tuesday, setting off fireworks, igniting fires, and spreading straw and animal manure in protest against the bloc's regulations and diminishing profits.
The demonstration coincides with an agricultural ministers' meeting aimed at finding a way to appease the disgruntled farmers.
Police erected barricades and resorted to water cannons to manage the demonstrations, as tractors with blaring alarms took to the streets around the EU headquarters in Brussels. Banners such as "Let us live from our own work" adorned some of the tractors.
For weeks, angry farmers have been blocking roads and organizing protests in front of government offices across Europe, voicing their discontent.
Their efforts have borne fruit: The European Commission has repealed a controversial ban on fertilizers and proposed to relax the conditions for receiving support from the EU's Common Agricultural Policy. These changes, according to Belgian Agriculture Minister David Clarinval, who is chairing the meeting, will provide farmers with "greater flexibility" and reduce bureaucratic burdens while maintaining environmental standards.
However, German Agriculture Minister Cem Özdemir issued a warning against lowering the EU's environmental standards in response to the principal proposal to revise the Common Agricultural Policy rules. "What we lose today will have to be rebuilt with much greater effort," he remarked earlier this month.
Farmers rely on support from the Common Agricultural Policy to overcome life's challenges, but these payments are contingent upon strict environmental protection rules. On March 15, the European Commission suggested easing land use and crop rotation regulations.
The proposed amendments face a lengthy process before becoming EU law, requiring approval from both the European Parliament and member states.
Among other matters, Tuesday's meeting will discuss the reintroduction of tariffs on agricultural imports from Ukraine, such as eggs, poultry, corn, and honey. In 2022, the EU suspended customs duties on Ukrainian agricultural imports to support the Ukrainian economy amid Russia's large-scale invasion in February of that year.
However, EU farmers have complained about a sharp increase in imports, seeking protection against what they consider unfair competition. Ukrainian farmers, they argue, can produce food at lower costs, partly because they are not subject to EU regulations.
Police erected barricades and resorted to water cannons to manage the demonstrations, as tractors with blaring alarms took to the streets around the EU headquarters in Brussels. Banners such as "Let us live from our own work" adorned some of the tractors.
For weeks, angry farmers have been blocking roads and organizing protests in front of government offices across Europe, voicing their discontent.
Their efforts have borne fruit: The European Commission has repealed a controversial ban on fertilizers and proposed to relax the conditions for receiving support from the EU's Common Agricultural Policy. These changes, according to Belgian Agriculture Minister David Clarinval, who is chairing the meeting, will provide farmers with "greater flexibility" and reduce bureaucratic burdens while maintaining environmental standards.
However, German Agriculture Minister Cem Özdemir issued a warning against lowering the EU's environmental standards in response to the principal proposal to revise the Common Agricultural Policy rules. "What we lose today will have to be rebuilt with much greater effort," he remarked earlier this month.
Farmers rely on support from the Common Agricultural Policy to overcome life's challenges, but these payments are contingent upon strict environmental protection rules. On March 15, the European Commission suggested easing land use and crop rotation regulations.
The proposed amendments face a lengthy process before becoming EU law, requiring approval from both the European Parliament and member states.
Among other matters, Tuesday's meeting will discuss the reintroduction of tariffs on agricultural imports from Ukraine, such as eggs, poultry, corn, and honey. In 2022, the EU suspended customs duties on Ukrainian agricultural imports to support the Ukrainian economy amid Russia's large-scale invasion in February of that year.
However, EU farmers have complained about a sharp increase in imports, seeking protection against what they consider unfair competition. Ukrainian farmers, they argue, can produce food at lower costs, partly because they are not subject to EU regulations.
Translation:
Translated by AI
