A first convoy of tractors heading for the European Quarter drove into the Brussels-Capital Region around 18:30 on Wednesday, ahead of the large farmers' protest that coincides with the EU summit on Thursday.
The convoy caused traffic disruptions in the city centre and on the Small Ring Road. The exit between the Porte de Namur and Louise tunnel in the direction of Basilique closed temporarily but reopened around 19:30, announced Brussels Mobility on social media.
Tractors at Place du Trône, on their way to the European Quarter. Credit: Lukas Taylor
As the convoy heavily disrupted the evening rush hour, motorists were urged to avoid the area.
At the same time, police announced that some 60 tractors had passed through on the Brussels Ring Road (R0) in Halle. "The demonstrators from Binche have just taken the Drogenbos exit in the direction of Uccle," they announced on social media around 18:30.
Around 23:00, a convoy of tractors was still coming into Brussels from the south, with several of them driving through the Chaussée de Waterloo on their way to the European Quarter, where farmers – both Belgian and international – will take part in a large demonstration on Thursday.
The tractors will bring an extra layer of traffic chaos on top of the usual disruptions in the capital caused by the specific security measures triggered in the European Quarter. These include the police perimeter set up around the Council of the European Union buildings on Rue de la Loi for the summit.
Police have called on people not to travel to Brussels by car on Thursday and to use the metro to get around the city.
