Thousands of farmers from across the European Union are gathering in Strasbourg this Tuesday to protest the trade agreement between Brussels and the Mercosur states. The agricultural unions, who initiated the movement, intend to put pressure on MEPs as a key vote looms on a potential referral to the European Court of Justice.
From early morning, several hundred tractors are expected to converge on the Alsatian capital, causing significant traffic disruptions around the European institutions. A large number of police officers have been deployed to secure the Parliament, currently in plenary session, while organizers anticipate approximately four thousand demonstrators, primarily French but also including Italians, Belgians, and Germans.
A legal vote under pressure
Members of the European Parliament are expected to vote on Wednesday on whether to refer the agreement to the Court of Justice of the European Union to examine its compatibility with the treaties. Opponents hope that a negative ruling would block its implementation or force renegotiation, in a context where the political balance remains precarious.
Negotiated for over twenty years, the text aims to create a vast free trade area between the European Union and several South American countries. Its detractors denounce what they consider unfair competition for European agriculture and fear a drop in income as well as the entry of products that do not meet European health and environmental standards, a debate that now extends to the future of the common agricultural policy and its financing.
