In Brussels, on the eve of the European Parliament elections, they decided to meet the demands of farmers and weaken some environmental standards.
Prolonged and large-scale protests by farmers have become a real challenge before the upcoming elections, writes Deutsche Welle. On March 15, the European Commission proposed new concessions in agricultural policy EU. In particular, it is recommended to weaken environmental regulations that relate to crop rotation, soil protection and soil cultivation methods. For small farms, it is proposed to abolish some control measures and fines.
According to Ursula von der Leyen, head of the EC, the main purpose of these concessions is to ease the administrative burden for European farmers and give them more flexibility in meeting certain environmental conditions: “Agricultural policy adapts to changing realities.”
The European Commission’s proposals have yet to be approved by EU member states. The initiative will be discussed at a meeting of European agriculture ministers in Brussels on March 26.
In recent months, farmers from many European countries have organized large-scale protests, blocking highways. The protests have cost businesses tens of millions of euros due to transport delays. Farmers say free trade agreements lead to unfair competition for goods coming from abroad.
Farmers also said they were being weighed down by planned fuel subsidy cuts and tough environmental regulations under the European Green Deal to combat climate change.
Protests in the European Union, including in Greecehave become a particular challenge ahead of the European Parliament elections in June, as far-right parties try to take advantage of farmers’ protests to increase their voter base.
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