At least 300 farmers with tractors have been blocking traffic in the European quarter of the Belgian capital since early morning, and demonstrators burned bales of hay and tires and lit fireworks during the day, MTI said.
Many metro stations in the European Union district are closed, and trains do not stop at these stations. Roads leading to European Union institutions are closed to vehicle and pedestrian traffic.
In addition to falling incomes and deteriorating economic prospects, Belgian farmers are protesting because complex legislation and administrative work also hinders production. They also condemn several environmental protectionist measures taken by Belgium and the EU, which are considered excessive, and draw attention to the risks involved in EU free trade agreements.
At Tuesday's meeting of the Council on Agriculture and Fisheries, the agricultural ministers of member states approved, among other things, a proposal for a targeted review of the EU's Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), which aims to simplify and reduce the administrative burden on farmers. It provides greater flexibility in some environmental protection conditions. The law was adopted that expands the concept of environmental crimes and imposes more stringent penalties for committing such crimes. They also adopted a decree on improving the protection of geographical indications and other quality systems for wines, spirits and agricultural products, both online and offline, as well as on simplifying the procedures for registering geographical indications.
(Cover photo: A person stands next to burning straw during a Belgian farmers' demonstration in Brussels, Belgium, March 26, 2024. Photograph: Yves Hermann/Reuters)
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