Farmers to return to Brussels to defend CAP budget
Based on facts, either observed and verified directly by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources.
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Farmers will return to the streets of Brussels on 16 July to protest against potential cuts to CAP funding and the European Commission's plan to merge agricultural and cohesion policies into national 'partnerships' managed by member states.
On Monday, the Czech Chamber of Agriculture confirmed to Euractiv that the European farmers' organisation will stage a march in the European quarter on the same day that the Commission presents the first package of proposals for the EU's next long-term budget, also known as the multiannual financial framework (MFF).
Although the Commission's plans have been known for months, agricultural ministers and national farming organisations have only recently ramped up the pressure.
The protest will be the first major farmers' demonstration in the EU capital since last year, when a politically charged gathering at the city's gates aimed to influence the European elections.
A smaller protest against the EU-Mercosur trade deal, organised by grassroots farmer groups and NGOs, took place in November.
This time, however, the tone could be different. The organisers include the Walloon farmers' trade union, the Fédération Wallonne de l'Agriculture, and the EU organisation Copa-Cogeca. The march, which organisers described as "symbolic," is planned to go from the European Parliament to the Berlaymont building, and follows the launch of a petition titled "No security without CAP".
Organisers told Euractiv that they are calling for "a renewed commitment", a dedicated, inflation-adjusted CAP budget, and the preservation of the policy's current two-pillar structure.
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