Tractors, bonfires

Protest in Brussels: Farmers block EU Parliament

The farmer's soul is boiling, Brussels is burning.

(Bild: AP)

The farmers' protests in Europe have now also reached the EU summit. Farmers from several countries blocked roads in Brussels with their tractors on Thursday morning to demonstrate against rising costs, environmental regulations and cheap imports during the meeting of heads of state and government.

The farmers set up bonfires near the EU Parliament and launched fireworks, with a few throwing eggs at the building. Manure was also spread on the ground. The police were deployed in large numbers. The Brussels public transport operator announced on X (formerly Twitter) that several bus routes were disrupted due to the protests.

Police counted around 1000 tractors
According to police estimates, farmers from Belgium and other European countries were involved in the road blockades with around 1000 tractors. One tractor, for example, carried a banner reading "If you love the earth, support those who farm it", while another banner read "No farmers, no food".

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Security forces in protective suits stood behind barriers in front of the EU headquarters, where the heads of state and government were discussing further aid for Ukraine. The EU leaders signaled their understanding for the farmers' concerns. Belgium's Prime Minister Alexander de Croo welcomed the fact that the EU Commission recently extended exemptions from environmental regulations. "It would be better to extend this for more than just one year," he said. Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar called for the EU to refrain from imposing new requirements in the coming years. He also joined the French opposition to the EU's trade agreement with the Mercosur states. "Mercosur cannot be ratified in its current form," said Varadkar.

Orbán hears the "voice of the people"
Eastern European farmers, who are complaining about price pressure as a result of the suspension of import duties on deliveries from Ukraine, are also annoyed. Here, too, the EU Commission wants to improve the situation with volume restrictions. Hungary's head of government Viktor Orbán posted a video on his X profile (formerly Twitter) showing him among the protesters and describing them as the "voice of the people" for whom he would "stand up" (see tweet above).