European Parliament Weakens Green Deal Amid New Farmers' protest in Brussels with Tractors

Today, representatives of the 27 EU countries adopted a relaxation of some of the environmental conditions of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) proposed by the European Commission in mid-March in response to massive farmers' protests across Europe, RTBF reports.

The decision was taken by the Ad Hoc Committee on Agriculture, the body of the Council of Ministers that prepares decisions, which met immediately in Brussels today amid fresh farm protests.    

Currently, there is a massive protest of farmers with hundreds of tractors outside the European Parliament and traffic problems. This was reported by the city police the day before. Also today, some bus routes in the city have been changed.

The farmers are demanding, among other things, a review of the terms of the Green Deal, favourable prices and the termination of free trade agreements. According to our sources, there may be 200 to 500 tractors on the streets of Brussels.

All day from 6:00 am, rue de la Loix (between Schumann and R20), the Reyers tunnel towards the centre and the Cinquantenaire tunnel towards the Loi were closed to traffic.  

The authorities recommend using public transport to get to and around the capital.  

The European Parliament, whose Agriculture Committee has chosen the emergency procedure, will vote on the easing of measures during its plenary session at the end of April. The amendments are expected to enter into force "by the end of spring".  

The European Green Deal is Europe's roadmap to become the first climate-neutral continent by 2050 and implement the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Since then, the EU has accelerated measures to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, invest in green technologies and protect the natural environment. However, these measures contain stringent conditions for farmers that cannot be met in a "fast-track" mode, and some are incompatible with farming.