Belgian farmers from Wallonia have been demonstrating on various roads located near the borders with France and Germany since Wednesday evening.
Protestors are demonstrating against the free trade agreement between the European Union and Mercosur countries in South America, expressing their sense of betrayal by the political class. As planned, the mobilisation began around 21:00 on Wednesday night and is expected to last 24 hours.
"In February, in the midst of the crisis, politicians made beautiful promises. Most of them they did not keep. Today, they are ready to vote for the Mercosur treaty," a young farmer on the scene told Belga News Agency. "We do not want that treaty, which would make it possible to import products that do not meet the same standards as ours."
According to the federal police’s Inforoutes website, there are blockades on the N89 in Bouillon at the French border, near Beaubru, in both directions.
In Hainaut, the E19 motorway towards Valenciennes is closed at the Hautrage interchange. The border is closed at Hensies, and travel to France is being redirected via the A16/E42. On the other side of the border, French farmers are carrying out similar actions.
Farmers hold a protest action in Welkenraedt on the E40 highway, on Wednesday 04 December 2024. Credit: Belga / Francoise Peiffer
In Liège province, tractors have been forming a roadblock since Wednesday evening at the Liège-Bierset airport, in both directions. The E40 motorway towards Brussels is closed at Welkenraedt, requiring drivers to exit at 38 Eupen-Welkenraedt and re-enter the motorway at access 37 Ter Baelen.
After spending the night at the airport, the farmers in Bierset are moving to Visé, on the Belgian border with the Netherlands, which could cause traffic problems, RTBF reports.
The blockades are carried out at the initiative of the Federation of Young Farmers (FJA) and supported by the agricultural union Fugea, should in principle last 24 hours, until Thursday 22:00.
The mobilisation comes as a Mercosur summit (the 65th) is scheduled in Montevideo (Uruguay) on Thursday and Friday. Long-running negotiations on a free trade agreement between the EU and the South American bloc of countries could be finalised there, despite opposition from several member states.
