Belgian farmers are protesting with fried potatoes in Brussels, against the agreement with Mercosur
Belgian farmers from the Flemish union Boerenbond set up a traditional French fries stand in front of the European Parliament in Brussels on Thursday to highlight local production and ask MEPs to oppose the European Union's “wrong” trade deal with Mercosur.
European Parliament. Pixabay photo
At an informal meeting with European parliamentarians, in Luxembourg Square, the association complained that the free trade agreement will push the Belgian and European agricultural sector to compete with imported products, which will be made “with lower standards and insufficient control“, explained for EFE, one of the members of the union's executive management, Pieter Verhelst.
In addition, farmers rejected the reduction of funds for the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) and European regulations “deficient“, which blocks the Belgian and European agricultural sector.
To make the risk of losing local production tangible, they chose to offer free typical dishes of Belgian cuisine and classic fried potatoes, accompanied by the famous beef stew with onions (carbonade), or Volovan-style chicken (vol-au-vent), as well as Brussels waffles.
“If we want to continue to enjoy these typical dishes of Belgian cuisine, we must ensure that they can continue to be eaten with products produced here: with beef produced here, with chicken produced here, with sugar from sugar beets grown here, and not with sugar, chicken or beef from the Mercosur countries“, argued Verhelst.
The actions of the Belgian farmers, which also take place in other areas of the country, with blockages in the ports and on the roads, are determined by the possible green wave that could be given on Friday by the European Union to the signing of the EU-Mercosur agreement, which could take place on January 12, in Paraguay.
That is why the agricultural sector is trying to convince the members of the European Parliament to block the agreement, if the 27 member states will approve it.
On Thursday morning, the members of the union received the Belgian parliamentarian Hilde Vautman, from the liberal group Renew, who declared in favor of the trade agreement, to guarantee food security “given the geopolitical situation”, but specified that the EU must establish “a balanced playing field”, which does not harm European producers.
“I think it is very important to send the message that there is this trade agreement, but that it is unbalanced for farmers and that we need very good conditions before products can enter the European marketVautman pointed out.
In relation to a possible joint position of the liberals in the European Parliament, she stated that the group is “a little divided”.
