Clashes erupted in Brussels on Thursday as thousands of farmers protested the European Union’s planned trade deal with the Mercosur bloc, lighting fires and hurling potatoes at riot police who answered with teargas and water cannons outside EU institutions.
At least 7,000 farmers converged on the Belgian capital with about 1,000 tractors to pressure EU leaders meeting nearby, where the fate of the EU-Mercosur agreement hung in the balance. A largely peaceful march through the European quarter gave way to tense scenes at the European Parliament, where farmers torched tires and hay, sending thick black smoke through surrounding streets. Police deployed teargas and water cannons, and AFP journalists witnessed windows smashed at the parliament building.
- Advertisement -
“We’re here to say no to Mercosur,” Belgian dairy farmer Maxime Mabille told AFP. “It’s like Europe has become a dictatorship,” he said, accusing European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen of trying to “force the deal through.”
The long-running pact with Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay would create the world’s largest free-trade area, a centerpiece of EU trade policy aimed at boosting exports of vehicles, machinery, wines and spirits. But it has become a lightning rod for Europe’s farm sector, which fears being undercut by cheaper beef, sugar, rice, honey and soybeans from South American producers they say face looser environmental and animal welfare rules.
Von der Leyen said she still hoped for an accord, calling a meeting with European farmers “good and productive” and urging a swift green light. Plans for her to travel to Brazil this weekend to sign the deal were thrown into doubt after Italy joined France in seeking a delay.
President Emmanuel Macron warned France would block the agreement without stronger safeguards for farmers. “We consider that we are not there yet, and the deal cannot be signed” as it stands, he told reporters in Brussels, vowing to oppose any “attempt to force this through.” Paris and Rome have demanded tougher safeguard clauses, tighter import controls and stricter standards for Mercosur producers.
Key EU economies including Germany, Spain and several Nordic states back the pact, arguing it is needed to expand European exports amid rising competition from China and a more protectionist White House. “If the European Union wants to remain credible in global trade policy, then decisions must be made now,” German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said.
But with France, Italy, Hungary and Poland in opposition, critics appear to have the numbers inside the European Council to sink the agreement if it is brought to a vote. The last-minute split drew a sharp response from Brazil’s President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, who warned EU leaders the time to close the deal was now or never.
Beyond Mercosur, farmers across Europe are bristling at separate European Commission plans to overhaul the bloc’s vast agricultural subsidies, fearing cuts and tighter rules that could squeeze already thin margins. “Our message is pretty simple: we’ve been protesting since 2024 in France, in Belgium and elsewhere,” said Florian Poncelet of Belgian farm union FJA. “We’d like to be finally listened to.”
The standoff laid bare the political and economic crosswinds confronting the 27-nation EU as leaders juggle trade ambitions, climate commitments and rural livelihoods. As black smoke dissipated over Brussels and leaders haggled behind closed doors, the immediate future of the Mercosur deal—and the contours of Europe’s farm policy—remained uncertain.
By Abdiwahab Ahmed
Axadle Times international–Monitoring.
