In the midst of negotiations for the revision of the European Union’s multiannual budget framework, Brussels witnessed large-scale protests by farmers beneath the European Parliament. On Thursday, at least a thousand tractors rolled into the Belgian capital, with several thousand people gathering outside the European Parliament building. Videos from the scene depict fires being ignited, and thick smoke enveloping the area.
Farmers, predominantly from Belgium and Italy, were demanding the abandonment of EU regulations imposing stringent requirements on their farms.
“We are here to defend our agriculture. For three years, we have been unsuccessfully trying to draw the attention of the Belgian government to our issues. We must finally wake up and, together with all of Europe, fight for a common cause: the ability to pursue the profession of farming for us and our children,”
said Isabel Proost, a farmer from Flanders, in a statement to journalists.
#boerenprotest #boerenprotesten #boeren #brussel pic.twitter.com/DZH93ogk09
— ReactNieuws.net (@reactnieuws) February 1, 2024
The culmination of discontent among farmers was the European Green Deal, which aims to make Europe carbon-neutral by 2050, and the law on nature restoration, designed to “improve biodiversity in agricultural ecosystems.” These regulations have imposed new requirements and burdens on European agriculture that are challenging to bear.
The dissatisfaction reached its peak with the farmers’ protest in Brussels, which coincided with the meeting of EU leaders to discuss the budget and agricultural policies. The protest featured tractors blocking streets, disrupting traffic and causing chaos in the heart of the EU capital. Footage of the tractor demonstration was shared by various individuals, including Beata Mazurek, a member of the European Parliament from the Law and Justice (PiS) party.
“Farmers protest in #Brussels. Paralyzing Brussels on the day of the European Council summit. This is how it looks,”
wrote MEP Mazurek on her social media, accompanying her post with a video of the tractor convoy.
Rolnicy protestują w #Bruksela Paraliż Brukseli w dniu szczytu Rady Europejskiej. Tak to wygląda. pic.twitter.com/WQTU5BexJa
— Beata Mazurek (@beatamk) February 1, 2024
Film kręcony z okna Parlamentu Europejskiego przez europosła.
— coolfonpl 🇵🇱 (@coolfonpl) February 1, 2024
Chyba w końcu poczuli z bliska gniew ludu. 🔥🚜 pic.twitter.com/HKUtdT6u9p
#boerenprotest#ProtestRolników pic.twitter.com/qOfXwhAO6Q
— Dominik Tarczyński MEP (@D_Tarczynski) February 1, 2024