Hundreds of farmers are demonstrating in Brussels, where a meeting of the Council of the European Union is being held this Thursday (17), against the proposed trade agreement with Mercosur – the outcome of which is uncertain while summit negotiations have begun in the Belgian capital.
More than 150 tractors invaded the streets of central Brussels on Thursday morning. “We are here to say no to Mercosur,” said Belgian dairy producer Maxime Mabille. “It’s as if Europe has become a dictatorship,” he said, accusing European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen of trying to “force approval of the deal.”
Farm lobby Copa-Cogeca said 10,000 protesters were expected in the capital’s European Quarter, where EU member states are discussing the Mercosur deal.
Farmers, particularly in France, fear the EU-Mercosur deal will put them at a disadvantage due to the flow of cheaper products from the Brazilian agricultural giant and its neighbors.
The commission head’s plans to travel to Brazil this weekend to sign the agreement were jeopardized on Wednesday (17), after Italy joined France in calling for a postponement.
Arriving at Thursday’s summit, von der Leyen said she still hoped for a deal.
“It is extremely important that we get the green light for Mercosur and can finalize the signatures,” said von der Leyen, who held what she called a “good and productive” meeting with a delegation of European farmers to hear their concerns.
POWER TO CANCEL THE AGREEMENT
The EU-Mercosur deal would create the world’s largest free trade area and help the EU export more vehicles, machinery, wine and spirits to Latin America at a time of global trade tensions.
But farmers say it would also make it easier for beef, sugar, rice, honey and soy produced by their less regulated South American competitors to enter Europe.
The French and Italian governments have called for stricter safeguard clauses, stricter import controls and stricter standards for Mercosur producers.
French President Emmanuel Macron reaffirmed upon his arrival in Brussels that France would not support the agreement without stronger guarantees for its farmers.
“I want to say to our farmers, who have clearly expressed France’s position from the start: we consider that we are not there yet and that the agreement cannot be signed” as it stands, Macron said. He promised that France would oppose any “attempt to impose approval”.
Key power Germany, along with Spain and the Nordic countries, strongly back the Mercosur deal, eager to boost their exports as Europe grapples with competition from China and a tariff-friendly administration in the White House.
“If the European Union wants to remain credible in global trade policy, decisions must be made now,” German Chancellor Friedrich Merz told reporters in Brussels on Thursday.
But with Hungary and Poland backing their opposition to the deal, the French and Italians would have enough influence in the European Council to cancel the deal if it came to a vote.
The President of Brazil, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, said on Wednesday that if the signing, scheduled for Saturday (20), was postponed, the agreement would no longer be accepted by the Brazilian government until the end of its term on December 31, 2026.
“I know now that they will not be able to approve it (at the European Council). It is difficult, because Italy and France do not want to do it due to internal political problems,” Lula said. “And I’ve already warned them, if we don’t do it now, Brazil won’t make another deal as long as I’m president. That’s good to know. We’ve been waiting for this deal for 26 years. 26 years,” he commented.
This position is in line with what the chairman of the European Parliament’s trade committee, Bernd Lange, said earlier this week. “The Mercosur countries are starting to lose patience. If it is not possible to sign now, the window of opportunity will close and they will look for countries that we do not like,” he said.
OTHER CLAIMS OF FARMERS
European farmers are also outraged by plans put forward by the European Commission to reform the 27-nation bloc’s huge agricultural subsidies, fearing less money will reach them.
“Our message is quite simple: we have been demonstrating since 2024 in France, Belgium and elsewhere,” said Florian Poncelet of the Belgian agricultural union FJA. “We would like to finally be heard,” he said.
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