The Spanish agricultural unions They announced that they will join to the protest movement that Europe is experiencing, especially France, where farmers continued to block several access highways to Paris on Tuesday ahead of new government announcements.
Each country faces its own difficulties, but they all agree on pointing out the production standards in the European Union and imports from countries outside the bloc as causes of an eventual drop in income and loss of competitiveness.
Spain joins the protests in the coming weeks
The import of “agricultural products from third countries at low prices that put downward pressure on those from the EU” are a case of “unfair competition”, Spanish unions warned ASAJA, COAG and UPA, in their call for protests “in the coming weeks.”
French President Emmanuel Macron spoke about French farmers
Visiting Sweden, French President Emmanuel Macron, critical to whom “blame” to the EU of all evils, something in his opinion too “easy”, and warned that many of French farmers would not have a salary without the Common Agricultural Policy (European CAP).
But in an outstretched hand, reiterated his opposition to the trade agreement that negotiates from 1999 the EU and Mercosur, considering that the agricultural production standards of these South American nations “are not homogeneous” with those of Europe.
The elections to the European Parliament are approaching, the French president meets with the head of the European Commission
He french presidentwho plans to meet on Thursday in Brussels with the head of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyenalso advocated better regulate Ukrainian chicken and grain imports, country at war since 2022 against Russia.
A few months after the elections to the European Parliament June, agrarian anger, which was also experienced by Germany, Poland, Romania, Belgium and Italy, increases pressure on policies of the current mandate such as the Green Deal, which includes ecological transition measures for agriculture.
France and the farmers’ protests
In Franceepicenter of the protests, farmers mobilized since January 18 They maintained their protests, after considering measures insufficient announced on friday by the Prime Minister, Gabriel Attal, as the elimination of a tax on diesel for agricultural use.
On board their tractors, Farmers kept traffic cut off in several parts of France and for the second consecutive day they blocked several access highways to Paris, where they set up makeshift camps to spend the night.
“The blockade serves to put pressure on the government, which must decide whether to support French agriculture or leave the door open to foreign production, which does not comply with the standards”, said Stéphanie Guicheux, a 34-year-old farmeron the A13 motorway near Paris.
Farmers move to the outskirts of the capital
From the south of the country, also a convoy of 200 tractors advances which left on the eve of Agen towards the Rungis wholesale market, near the capital, one of the largest in the world, with the aim of blocking it at the call of the Rural Coordination union.
The authorities deployed an important security device to prevent this action, which does not have the unanimity of the agrarian movement. “Our goal is not to starve the French”Arnaud Rousseau warned, leader of the majority union FNSEA.
The new measures for farmers
Before the Assembly (low camera), Attal paid tribute to farmers and fishermen who “work day and night to feed” the citizens, called for a “French agricultural exception” and announced new measures, such as the payment “by March 15” of the agricultural aid provided for in the CAP.
farmers france blockade.jpg
X Courtesy of @DeusVul94229466
Without giving more details, Attal also spoke of a reinforcement of tax aid for livestock farmers and “a great control plan on the traceability of the products.” “Everything cannot be solved in a few weeks,” she warned.
He french government faces pressure from the first opposition partythe National Group (RN) of the far-right Marine Le Pen, who leads the polls in France for the European elections.
Source: Ambito
