The wave of angry farmer protests sweeping across Europe has reached Brussels, with demonstrators setting up blockades and paralyzing the city center.
Clashes broke out today outside the European Parliament, as farmers hurled objects and police responded with tear gas.
Since the morning of Thursday, 18 December 2025, the city has been in turmoil, with tractors on the streets, fires and severe traffic chaos, while tensions continue to escalate.
The situation is explosive and the atmosphere suffocating due to tear gas. Farmers throwing potatoes and other agricultural products at police forces remain on site and refuse to leave, despite repeated pushback operations.
European farmers are protesting to demand solutions that ensure their competitiveness, protect their income, and safeguard EU food security.
Demonstrators caught authorities off guard on the evening of Wednesday, 17 December 2025, when they set up a blockade on Rue de la Loi, the main avenue running past the buildings of the European Commission and the European Council. At around 23:00, farmers with at least 100 tractors drove along the avenue, prompting an emergency response by authorities and the closure of the road.
Police units, helicopters, and water cannons were deployed at the scene.
This morning, farmers who remain in the area continued their protest, setting fire to tires and straw, further intensifying disruption in the district.
Negotiations over the Mercosur agreement
It is recalled that on 17 December 2025, negotiations at COREPER (the Committee of Permanent Representatives) on the latest safeguard agreement related to the Mercosur Regulation were in full swing, with confrontations escalating.
Tensions are peaking as European farmers demand concrete solutions to protect their competitiveness and secure their incomes.
The Council and the European Parliament reached a preliminary agreement on a strengthened safeguard regulation for the European agri-food sector, which includes the bilateral safeguard clause for Mercosur.
This clause allows for the temporary suspension of preferential tariffs if imports from Mercosur cause serious damage to the EU market.
The new agreement expands the list of monitored products and strengthens control measures for “sensitive products” such as citrus fruits, meat, and sugar, allowing for immediate intervention in cases of price undercutting or surges in import volumes.
The situation within the EU remains unstable, as countries such as France and Italy remain critical of the agreement despite the enhanced safeguards.
Paris is calling for legally binding “mirror clauses” to ensure equal standards, while Rome is concerned about the impact on European farmers.
Denmark is pushing to finalize the agreement before the next EU–Latin America Summit, but the lack of consensus raises the risk of a new deadlock.
Greece faces conflicting interests: olive oil exporters fear increased competition from Latin American products, while meat and sugar importers see an opportunity for cheaper raw materials.
Thousands of farmers in Brussels
According to farmers already gathering in Brussels, there are three main causes behind the mobilization.
First, the “unacceptable” proposals by the Commission for the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) after 2027, which are deemed insufficient in terms of funding and shared governance.
Second, the EU’s trade policy with Mercosur, which farmers describe as a “historic mistake” that will put pressure on prices and incomes, and third, the call for simplification and a clearer legal framework for the agricultural sector.
The farmers’ march in Brussels will begin at 9 a.m. (local time) from Boulevard Roi Albert II near Bruxelles Nord station and will proceed via Boulevard Botanique and Rue de la Loi toward Place du Luxembourg, with an expected arrival around 2:30 p.m.
Although Copa-Cogeca stated that there are no plans for road blockades on the Brussels ring road, significant disruption is expected in the city center and the “European quarter”.
It is noted that the president of the Irish Farmers’ Association (IFA), Francie Gorman, set off by tractor from Dublin to take part in the protest rally.
Today’s crucial nationwide meeting of road blockades in Serres
On Greek soil, today’s nationwide meeting of farmer blockades, taking place at 14:00 in Lefkonas, Serres, is considered decisive for the next steps of the agricultural movement.
According to information from ertnews.gr, the atmosphere is particularly tense, with strong dissatisfaction and anger among farmers.
A decisive factor in escalating tensions was yesterday’s incident involving ELGA, when farmers discovered early in the morning that funds had been withheld from their bank accounts without the prior payment of the basic subsidy.
Under standard procedure, ELGA insurance contributions are automatically deducted upon payment of subsidies. In this case, however, deductions were made before funds were credited, triggering strong reactions.
Government officials later issued public statements citing a “technical error”, offering apologies and assurances that it would be corrected. During the day, payments were made to some beneficiaries, but according to farmers, the problem was not resolved for all, further fueling frustration.
In this climate, the likelihood of escalating mobilizations is seen as dominant, with blockades expected to remain in place at least until Friday. Whether farmers will ultimately enter into dialogue will depend on the decisions of today’s meeting.
Yesterday, protests already had significant impacts on traffic, with a notable example being the blockade of Promachonas, where kilometer-long queues of trucks formed, as it is the country’s largest border crossing. At Malgara, the lane toward Thessaloniki was closed yesterday from 12:00 to 16:00, while today an indefinite closure of the same direction is under consideration.
Despite their hard stance, farmers signal that during the Christmas period they will facilitate citizens’ travel by opening blockades and positioning tractors off the roadway, so as not to disrupt movement during the holidays.
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