Farmers protesting in Belgium have converged in Luxembourg Square in Brussels on Thursday (Feb. 1) to call on European leaders to put an end to free trade agreements between the European Union and other countries.
"Ursula, we are here!" read a message chalked on the Paris-Brussels motorway addressed to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen not to ignore the farmer's pleas for better prices and less bureaucracy.
As early as Wednesday night local time, tractors have begun gathering at the European Parliament headquarters. They have earlier blocked key roads in and around the Belgian capital.
Reports reveal that the farmers set fires and attacked police barriers near the EU buildings.
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Angry Farmers Across Europe
Euronews reported that farmers in France, Belgium, and Italy have been disrupting trade at major ports and other strategic sectors in the past few days and ramping up pressure ahead of the EU summit on Thursday.
The farmers have been facing unprecedented droughts, fires, and natural disasters blamed on climate change that devastated crops across the continent. Other factors included the COVID-19 pandemic, Russia's war with Ukraine, and runaway inflation.
"European farmers have been under increasing pressure from many sides," European Commission Vice President Maroš Šefčovič said, adding that some water reservoirs in southern Spain are almost running dry at 4% capacity.
He added that grain production fell by 30% last year - from €80 billion ($86.47 billion) to less than €60 billion (64.85 billion).
Meanwhile, Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo earlier said that the bloc should listen to the farmers.
"We also need to make sure that they can get the right price for the high-quality products that they provide," he said. "We also need to make sure that the administrative burden that they have remains reasonable."
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